


My Precious One

by RightHereBesideYou



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, School, school au, vampire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-22 12:48:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 39,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7439968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RightHereBesideYou/pseuds/RightHereBesideYou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson's life had been perfect until it was suddenly turned upside down.<br/>Happiness turned into fear, trust into wariness.<br/>The once bright world he lived in is tinted in red and black, an endless tunnel of nightmares, and the only thing that is keeping him above the pits of doom and insanity is Harry Styles, his saviour and protector.<br/>But not every guardian angel has white wings and a golden halo, and soon Louis is faced not only by his worst nightmare, but also the lurking shadows of his past.<br/>© RightHereBesideYou</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The young boy dashed between the trees, keeping his eyes trained on what lay ahead of him. Branches scraped his skin and his tired feet thudded against the ground hard ground. His breathing was irregular and his heart was beating so wildly he was sure it would burst any second if he continued at this rate. Yet, he kept running, not daring to look behind and see his pursuer, even though he had had a promising head start. He flinched at the sound of a twig breaking and closed his eyes momentarily, which he regretted moments later. His foot got caught in a root and he fell, gliding across the forest ground a bit before finally coming to a halt. He shuddered at the pain that shot up his arms and legs as he inspected the scrapes on his elbows and knees. The stinging didn’t cease and he crawled a bit, ducking behind a large beech tree a few metres away. He held a small hand over his mouth to silence his whimpers of pain while he strained his ears, awaiting the sound he feared most at this point in time. The sun had sunk a long time ago and the new moon offered no light whatsoever, allowing the darkness to compromise his sight. The once familiar forest seemed frightening now, the whispering of the trees in the otherwise deadly silence making the boy remember the things that had happened not too long ago, which he had desperately tried to avoid on his escape from the place he had once called home.  
He struggled for breath as he leaned against the bark of the old tree, shutting his eyes and trying to rid his head of the haunting memories that had begun to arise. The screams of his family were still ringing in his ears, so he clenched his jaw and covered his ears, but to no avail. The echoes in his mind continued nonetheless and he had never felt as alone as he did now, facing his fears all by himself in a dark corner of the gigantic forest.  
‘Mum...’ he whispered frantically. ‘Mum, please...’  
Nothing would be able to help him now, he was aware of that. He had been running aimlessly and deep into the woods in the hope that they wouldn’t find him. But of course, no one else would either and he was too weak to carry on. He would either die out here and never be found or his pursuer would find him and probably torture him to death. He preferred the former by miles, even though it resulted in a long death.  
Staring ahead of him, he was unable to pick up sounds anymore, since his senses were starting to become dull. The exhaustion had started to overpower him and he eventually gave in, allowing the darkness to engulf him.  
*  
‘No unusual sightings in this part. I must say though, winter is approaching fast this year. Perfect conditions for our enemies, mind you...’  
The blonde rambled on about the dangers that could possibly threaten them, but the curly haired man rolled his eyes as they strolled along the edge of the woods. Soon the babbling started to annoy the older one and he sighed before muttering, ‘Enough, Horan.’  
The younger stiffened and shut his mouth before uttering several apologies.  
‘I am so sorry, sir. It won’t happen again. I have no idea what came over me-’  
The man with the curly hair sighed and shook his head.  
‘We are done for tonight, Horan. We shall return now before your loud voice attracts some unwanted company.’  
The authority in his voice was not to be taken lightly, as Horan had recognised instantly, now leading the way towards the estate halfway up the grassy hill surrounded by a large forest, his head held low. He realised his urge to be an overachiever had brought along an unwanted result.  
‘Master Styles?’ Horan called uncertainly as he looked behind him to see the older still standing at the edge of the woods, seemingly in a trance.  
‘Can you hear that, Horan?’ He asked and Horan raised an eyebrow.  
‘Hear what?’  
‘Use your ears, Niall.’ Styles’ tone was harsh and Niall complied immediately. He was hardly ever addressed with his first name. The rare occasions when it did happen had always been at times where Styles was either annoyed or angry with him. Or even both.  
He listened intently and picked up a small thumping a good mile away, but it was weak.  
‘A heartbeat?’ He asked carefully, trying to avoid another unpleasant comment from his companion. It was probably just a dying mouse.  
‘Yes,’ Styles replied calmly.  
‘Surely that is not unusual in a forest full of animals,’ Horan said with a small laugh, but the tension did not lift as he had previously hoped. But then again, it never did when Styles was around.  
‘It is the heartbeat of a human, according to its pace,’ Styles explained in a matter-of-fact tone. His fingers drummed against his thigh in sync with the barely audible thumping of the heart. He began walking into the forest and Niall was quick to follow.  
‘Sir! It could be dangerous! A trap of some sorts!’ Niall exclaimed, catching up with the older one. ‘We should just return to the estate!’  
‘And leave a weak human out here to die? I never thought of you as the cold-hearted type, Horan.’  
Niall tried to contain his relief after hearing his surname again as they strode in the direction of the person. The accusatory tone the other had used did not bother him so much, since he certain that Styles already knew his true nature after all these years. He was helpful, protective, obedient and efficient – in his eyes at least. In his master’s eyes, however, he would be pictured as annoying, jumpy and always hungry – but also the most loyal of all.  
‘We could send someone else to investigate,’ he suggested cautiously, but Styles merely brushed it off.  
‘I am concerned about your wellbeing,’ Niall whispered and Styles laughed quietly.  
‘I should hope so. You are my escort, after all.’  
‘Then why won’t you consider my advice? The others will kill me if something were to happen to you.’  
‘Because my curiosity has got the better of me. I want to know the reason for this unexpected intrusion. It is not every day that we come across something unusual.’  
Niall nodded and listened for the regular beat again, noticing that they were very close now. He believed it was a good thing that nothing usually happened here, unlike Styles.  
‘Perhaps it’s a student. They love to play silly games like ‘dare and truth’.’  
‘It’s ‘truth or dare’, Horan. And I doubt that a student would be in this poor condition. They are well looked after.’  
‘What if this person was attacked?’  
‘Unlikely. There is no one else around at the moment. You are very pessimistic, aren’t you?’  
Niall stayed silent and they continued their search. It was obvious that Styles would not back down, no matter how much he argued against this reckless idea.  
‘I think I should go ahead and determine the safety of this, sir,’ Niall eventually said, mentally preparing himself for the worst as he rolled up his sleeves of his coat.  
‘Nonsense. The owner of that heart is probably not even conscious. Plus, you and I know that he is the only one around right now,’ Styles shot him down and Niall muttered something in a disgruntled tone.  
‘You do know that I can hear you?’  
Niall shut his mouth and chose to glare at the ground instead.  
They approached a small clearing and Styles headed towards an old beech tree, walking around it until he stopped in front of a crumpled figure. It did not move as Niall stepped closer to take a good look at this annoying obstacle that had got him into all this trouble. What he saw shocked him.  
‘A boy?’ Niall gasped. ‘What is he doing here?!’  
‘Shush, Horan,’ Styles hissed as he crouched down to take a closer look. ‘Can’t you see he’s asleep?’  
‘I don’t trust this. Let’s just leave him. Whoever left him here will come back for him,’ Niall muttered nervously, glancing around. Styles was acting irrationally, which he _never_ did, and it was unsettling for the blonde.  
Styles ignored him and raised his hand to stroke the boy’s fringe to the side, revealing his sweaty forehead and closed eyes. His hand lingered for a moment before he retracted it, his gaze fixed on the boy’s face.  
The boy had feathery brown hair and furrowed eyebrows that revealed a frown. It was plain to see that he was not experiencing a peaceful sleep, his erratic and heavy breathing letting them know that he was most probably having a nightmare.  
‘If we leave him here, then he will either be caught or killed,’ Styles sighed as he slowly stood up again, his green eyes still trained on the unconscious boy. ‘We will take him with us.’  
Niall gaped at him in disbelief, lost for words. Styles, however, did not notice his astounded gaze, since he was still watching the sleeping boy beneath him with an unreadable expression.  
‘I want you to return to the estate and wake Miss McGillen and Professor Redford,’ he said briskly, catching himself once again. ‘We’ll need a spare room tonight.’  
The blonde hesitantly opened his mouth to warn him, but Styles cut him short.  
‘Now, Niall. Don’t keep me waiting.’  
Niall nodded and hurried away, before the older could get even angrier with him, but not without glancing back once more in worry.  
Styles watched him leave and eventually turned back to the boy with the feathery hair.  
‘Whatever happened to you?’ He whispered and stroked the boy’s head gingerly. His arms then snaked under the younger one’s back and legs, carefully bringing him up to his chest. The boy was terribly light due to his size and underweight, which made Harry’s concern for his wellbeing even greater than before. Yet, he admitted to himself that the boy was the most beautiful human being Styles had ever seen.  
The boy muttered something incoherently and whined quietly, making Styles freeze to the spot as he waited for the boy’s next action, but he merely snuggled closer to him, seeking warmth and Styles let a ghost of a smile grace his lips.  
‘You’re safe now,’ he murmured and walked back the way he had come, unsure whether he was trying to ensure the boy or himself.  
One thing was certain though.  
He would ensure the boy’s safety from now on.


	2. Caedian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> This is my first ever Larry fanfic, so bear with me :')  
> The whole AO3 thing is very new to me, so if you should notice anything, feel free to tell me and I'll look into it more :)  
> So, I hope you enjoyed my prologue and will continue enjoying the story as it continues!  
> Em x

The soft light of a lamp was the first thing the boy noticed when he opened his eyes. The next was the softness under his back, which he found unusual for the forest ground that was usually covered in stones and roots. His vision slowly cleared and he saw the white ceiling above him. He sat bolt upright and stared at his surroundings, drinking in every detail. It was a small room with two large windows, a small wardrobe and two closed doors that were possibly locked. The chance of this room being used as a prison cell made him panic in an instant.

‘No...’ he whispered, frightened. ‘No, no, no!’

He jumped out of bed and crumpled to the floor, his body still weak even after his seemingly long sleep. He was starving, but he would have to worry about that later. Struggling to get up, he didn’t notice the door opening and a pair of legs striding towards him. Strong hands held him down and icy blue eyes stared right at him, the person’s gaze burning with scepticism. The boy hissed when his bare elbows touched the wooden floor underneath him, since they hadn’t had a chance to heal in this short period of time.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’ The unknown person sneered and the boy froze in shock. This was it. They had found him. There was no way he would be able to escape from them.

‘Please,’ he whispered and hid his face in his arms. ‘Please, don’t hurt me.’

Pleading seemed like the only option left, despite his intelligence concerning the nature of his pursuers. What scared him most, though, was the fact that there had been more than just one pursuer, which compromised his chances of escaping in an almost drastic fashion.

‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t,’ the blonde snapped at him and his grip tightened, making the boy gasp in pain. ‘Who knows what you have planned.’

His previously dull senses had obviously kicked back in, his body aching as soon as he moved. The unknown person’s fingers were digging into him like the talons of a vicious beast, or so it seemed to him.

‘Enough,’ a cold voice spoke harshly, causing both of them to flinch, but the grip on the boy’s shoulder blades did not falter.

‘Sir, he was trying to escape-’ the blonde tried to explain hastily, still holding the boy down.

‘Let him go, Niall. And leave before I change my mind about letting you go without a scratch.’

The authority in that person’s voice was like a toxin that paralysed a person. Anyone would be mad to defy a person like that, which the person above the injured boy seemed to notice as well.

Niall scrambled to his feet and shot out of the door, leaving the boy alone with the man. The older slowly made his way towards the shaking figure, carefully stretching his arm out.

‘Please,’ the boy whimpered again, staring at him pleadingly.

Blazing green eyes burned into his cerulean ones and the both stared at each other, lost in the other’s gaze.

‘I am not going to hurt you. Let me help you up,’ the man suddenly said calmly, his tone softer than it had been moments before.

The actions of the man confused the boy to no end. He wasn’t able to tell whether he was being genuine or not, which frightened him.

After a mental debate, the boy groggily moved towards his outstretched hand and the man lifted him up, gingerly leading him back to the bed, where he tucked him in again, much to the boy’s relief.

‘What’s going to happen to me?’ The boy murmured sleepily.

His body had given up once more, satisfied with the cosy environment that didn’t seem to emit a dangerous aura.

‘One step at a time. You need to rest,’ the man stated and the boy didn’t dare to defy him.

‘What’s your name?’ The man asked after a few seconds.

‘Louis,’ the boy muttered, struggling against his drowsiness.

‘Sleep, Louis,’ was all he heard before he gave in again.

*

Louis awoke with a start and looked around him. The room was the same, so it hadn’t been a dream after all. The man, however, was nowhere to be seen. His elbows felt odd and his eyebrows rose in surprise when he inspected his arms. Bandages were covering the wounds now.

‘Good morning, Louis,’ someone said and Louis yelped in surprise.

A middle-aged woman was bustling around the room, pulling the big curtains back to allow the room to be filled with light. Louis held his arm in front of his eyes in the hope of shielding them from the sun’s glare. Never had he expected to see the sunlight again, nor had he dreamed of waking up in a soft bed. Yet, he still had no idea where he was.

‘Where am I?’ He asked bluntly.

There was no point in formalities. She had intruded into his privacy after all.

‘Caedian Academy,’ she replied with a smile, continuing with whatever she was doing.

The smile seemed far from fake, but the boy knew better than to open up to that stranger.

‘The school?’ Louis said, his eyes wide.

A school was a thousand times better than some isolated castle with dungeons.

‘Yes. You will be having a meeting with the headmaster in a few minutes, which is why I brought you some fresh clothes.’

He slowly got out of bed and walked up to the armchair, where she had put a neat uniform. It was dark blue and expensive looking, nothing like the worn clothes he was wearing. Small white lines went along the seams, making it look like something only royals would wear.

‘I’ll be back in five minutes,’ the woman, who’s name was still unknown to him, sweetly announced and departed, leaving him alone to change.

His thin jacket that he had worn the night before was nowhere to be seen, though he still had his old T-shirt and jeans on. He was glad no one had really touched him up until now, apart from that rough blonde and the authoritative man, who he hadn’t been able to evade.

Once he had slipped on the perfectly fitting uniform, he walked to the mirror, admiring the well-cut piece of clothing on his body. It was probably the only fresh looking thing about him. His eyes looked tired and his face sunken in, but he forced a smile as the door opened nevertheless.

‘Ah, you’re ready. Come along then.’

The woman had returned and ushered him out of his room into a bright hallway and towards the end of the corridor. She opened the large oak door and led him towards a wide staircase that connected several floors. He tried to keep up with her as she briskly made her way up to the top, and Louis was relieved to have made it without his weak legs giving out. They were shaking by the time they had reached the correct floor.

Why did he still feel so tired? Hadn’t he slept long enough?

‘This way,’ she called and he jogged slightly to catch up, but nearly bumped into her when she suddenly came to a halt outside a room with a large oak door.

‘Here we go,’ she said and, without any warning, knocked on the door and pushed him into the room without entering herself. The door slammed shut and he gulped, slowly looking up.

‘Ah, Louis,’ a man in his fifties said as he walked towards him with a welcoming smile while holding his hand out. ‘Welcome to Caedian!’

‘Thank you, sir,’ Louis muttered and accepted the friendly gesture by shaking the man’s hand.

‘I am Professor Nigel Redford, the headmaster,’ he introduced himself pompously. ‘I am sorry about waking you only after a few hours of sleep, but I have a tight schedule and we have to talk. I believe that you were found abandoned in the forest yesterday. How come?’

Louis gulped and tensed at the mention of the forest. There was no doubt that Professor Redford was an extremely straightforward man. As if on cue, the doors behind him opened and he spun around in fright, expecting something to lunge at him and drag him out by his hair. He relaxed when he saw familiar green eyes instead, assessing the situation at hand.

‘Ah, I see you made it after all,’ Professor Redford said in his usual cheery tone. The man gave a slight nod and fixed his gaze on the small boy in front of him.

‘Good morning, Louis,’ he said with the smallest of smiles.

‘Good morning,-’ Louis murmured, embarrassed of the fact that during their last encounter, he hadn’t even been capable of asking for the man’s name. He hardly remembered anything of the past twenty-four hours; it all seemed to be a blur.

‘Harry Styles,’ the green-eyed man said helpfully.

‘Harry here was the one who found you, Louis,’ the headmaster explained, and Louis stared at Harry with his big blue eyes.

‘I didn’t know, sir,’ he stuttered apologetically. ‘I’m sor- I- thank you.’

He blushed when Harry smiled kindly.

‘It’s fine, Louis. How were you supposed to know?’

Louis shrugged and stared at the floor, unable to hold Harry’s penetrating gaze much longer.

‘Well,’ Professor Redford said, clearing his throat. ‘Where were we?’

Harry sat down in one of the chintz armchairs, gesturing to Louis to take a seat in one of the others. Louis complied immediately, sitting down on the edge of the one opposite Harry’s while holding his breath.

‘Ah, yes,’ the headmaster smiled, joining them. ‘The forest.’

Once again, Louis tensed and gulped.

‘I thought you were going to discuss Louis’ future, not his past,’ Harry said with a menacing undertone, sensing the boy’s discomfort with just a single glance at him.

‘Well, I suppose we could talk about that...’ Redford muttered disappointedly, grabbing a glass of water that stood on the table. ‘Let’s get down to business then. Would you like to become a student at our school, Louis?’

Louis stared at him in surprise.

Join an academy like this? Just like that?

He had heard a few things about Caedian, but his village had despised it, since not a single villager could afford to send their child there. And here he was, being offered to stay at the boarding school just like that.

‘But I don’t have the money,’ he blurted out and slapped a hand on his mouth.

How could he say something like that? They could easily change their mind with his stupid behaviour!

‘That has been taken care of,’ Harry said in slight amusement. ‘That won’t concern you at all. But it is impolite to not answer a question.’

Louis blushed and nodded, glancing up at the headmaster, ‘I’d be honoured.’

‘Fantastic!’ Professor Redford cheered, ‘I’ll get the paper work. One second.’

He rushed into the next room, obviously forgetting about his previous question concerning Louis’ reasons for being in the forest. Harry chuckled at the headmaster’s joy and turned to face Louis once again.

‘Are you the Head Boy?’ Louis asked curiously, trying to find an explanation for Harry’s presence. He had noticed that Harry was much younger than he had first thought. He also wore a uniform, but it was white with blue patterns along the seams. Perhaps the type of uniform depended on what year a student was in.

Harry looked at him in surprise before regaining his usual self control.

‘Yes, you could say that,’ he replied vaguely, but Louis was happy enough with that answer. For now.

There was no question that Harry intimidated him. There was a natural authority in his aura that made Louis realise that defying this man would turn out to be a risk that should be avoided at all costs. On the other hand, this man had saved his life and had brought him new possibilities by bringing him here. If Louis had been in Harry’s position, he certainly would not have picked up some random thug with dirty clothes and brought him to one of the top schools in the area.

‘You think a lot.’

Louis blinked and looked at Harry, who was watching him with an interested look on his face. It had not been a question, but an observation.

‘Um...’ Louis had no idea what to respond to that.

‘What is it you think about?’

‘This,’ Louis said without hesitation, gesturing to the room around them. ‘All of this. I don’t know why you brought me here in the first place.’

‘Would you have preferred to freeze to death?’ Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘Or perhaps to have starved?’

‘No,’ Louis muttered. ‘But I don’t understand why you would bother bringing me to this place. The police or an orphanage would have been more likely to me. I haven’t got the qualities that are expected here.’

Harry processed what the young man had said, shaking his head with a sad smile.

‘Why would I wish to give you a miserable life when I can offer you the life that we lead here? I am not a heartless man. We all do not know about your capabilities, but you will be able to prove yourself worthy.’

His words seemed to hold a double meaning, but Harry did not elaborate, so Louis ignored his assumption.

‘So it’s you who is paying for my fees?’

‘No. There are no costs for you. I settled that with the headmaster last night.’

Louis gaped at him in shock.

‘I don’t understand,’ he whispered. ‘Why would you make an exception?’

In that moment the door opened and Redford entered, holding a few sheets of paper. Harry leaned back and the conversation the two of them had had was over.

‘Here we go, Louis. Just fill in the details you’re sure of.’

Louis took the pen in his hand and jotted his name and his birthday down, but stopped when he came to the next box that asked for his address. He decided to just put in the name of his hometown and continued with the rest, which was easier for him to fill out. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the second sheet lying on the coffee table in front of Professor Redford and wondered what that one was for. Before he could ponder even more, the piece of paper was snatched away by Harry who read through it with an uninterested expression.

‘Um... I think I’m done,’ Louis muttered and handed the form back to Professor Redford, who didn’t even bother to check it.

‘Excellent! You can return to your room now. I will send someone up to take you to your lesson, which will start in half an hour. Good luck, Louis.’

Louis nodded and stood up, quickly looking at Harry, only to find him staring at him already.

‘I’ll see you around, Louis.’

Louis smiled slightly and exited the room, leaving the two men alone.

‘I wonder what his history is,’ Redford said and read through Louis’ form, gasping only seconds later.

‘What?’ Harry asked.

‘Tomlinson! He’s a Tomlinson!’

‘So?’

Redford stared at Harry in disbelief, shocked by the student’s calmness.

‘Jay Tomlinson was considered a witch,’ Redford explained. ‘She had the ability to receive visions of the future. They were hardly ever good ones, mostly tragedies. Everyone feared her when it was proven that she was actually right. _Every single time_.’

‘Just because she had it, does not mean that Louis inherited it,’ Harry stated matter-of-factly, unimpressed by Redford’s nervousness. ‘I still don’t see it as a problem. The town where the Tomlinsons live is a good few miles away, so he won’t have to endure the villagers’ hate.’

‘ _Lived_ ,’ the professor corrected him and cast his gaze to his knees. ‘Their house was completely destroyed by strangers. The family was found dead in the debris. Only one survived. And that survivor is within these walls.’

Harry stared at him in shock.

‘Does he know this?’

‘I don’t think so. But he might have seen the attackers. I believe that boy is in grave danger.’

‘Then it will be our job to protect him.’

Harry had a determined look on his face as he said that. He would _never_ let anything hurt that frightened boy.

He rose from his seat and gave Redford a curt nod, before leaving the room with long strides, a certain pair of blue eyes never leaving his thoughts.


	3. Caeruleus et Candidus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the new update! x

Louis sat in his room and silently waited for something to happen. He was sure that half an hour had already passed, but he could hear nothing going on in the corridor. Suddenly, pounding footsteps approached his dormitory at a fast pace and the door was ripped open.

‘Thank god you’re still here!’ The person gasped, totally out of breath. ‘I was worried that you had left!’

‘I don’t know my way around, so I wouldn’t leave my room just like that,’ Louis muttered sheepishly.

‘Oh yeah, of course,’ the other laughed lightly. ‘The name’s Calvin Rodgers. What’s yours?’

‘Louis. Louis Tomlinson,’ Louis introduced himself quickly.

‘Well, I’d love to hang around and chat, mate, but we have a lesson to attend,’ Calvin announced and headed straight out the door.

Judging by the dark blue uniform he was wearing, he was in the same year as Louis was. Louis jogged to keep up and his eyes widened when they arrived in the Entrance Hall, which was piled with students.

‘Okay, I’ll try and keep this as simple as possible,’ Calvin said loudly in the hope that Louis could hear him over the racket. ‘There are two types of students at our school. The blue ones, like us, are the average students that are able to come here thanks to our money and parents. See the people in the white uniforms?’ Louis nodded. ‘They’re the elite students. Usually keep to themselves, even at lunch, although we all share the same Dining Hall – but that doesn’t matter now. Just don’t annoy them, it’s best to just stick to your own classmates.’

Louis nodded and tried to process everything he had heard. So Harry was an elite student? And Head Boy as well? He subconsciously searched for the mop of curly hair, but, to his dismay, he did not see him in the crowded room.

‘We sleep in the East wing of the estate. You’ll be moving out today to one of the spare dormitories. Wish we could share, but I already have a room mate...’ Calvin continued explaining as they weaved their way through the masses of students. ‘So, did you get to know anyone?’

‘The headmaster and the Head Boy,’ Louis replied and Calvin raised his eyebrow.

‘You met Dylan? That’s cool, I guess.’

Dylan?

‘No, his name was Harry,’ Louis said, confused.

‘That’s odd. We don’t have a Head Boy named Harry though.’

Louis was beyond confused now. He was certain that he had heard the elite student’s name properly. Had Harry lied to him?

_‘Yes, you could say that.’_

Did he have a different position that was similar to that of a Head Boy’s?

‘Come on, mate. Break’s over,’ Calvin called and Louis blushed when he realised that he had been too deep in his thoughts again.

Calvin chatted the whole way without any interruption, and Louis gladly let him. They reached a classroom and Calvin entered straight away, greeting a few people has he headed towards his table.

‘Oi, Dylan! This is Louis, the new kid,’ he suddenly said, gesturing to the shy boy beside him.

Dylan was extremely tall and had jet black hair and kind brown eyes.

‘Nice to meet you, Louis,’ he said with a smile, shaking Louis’ hand.

‘Likewise,’ Louis replied, slowly getting comfortable in this new environment.

‘If you should ever need anything, just tell me. I’m the Head Boy of the Caerulians.’

His voice was filled with pride as he said those last few words, there was no doubt about that.

‘Caerulians?’ Louis repeated and Calvin smacked his forehead.

‘I forgot to tell you! We’re called the Caerulians, the elites are the Candidians,’ he explained quickly and nodded towards Dylan, who was about to elaborate.

‘The names originate from the Latin words for ‘blue’, which is _caeruleus_ , and ‘white’, which is _candidus_. Once you know that, it’s pretty lame.’

Louis laughed lightly at that.

‘Well, it’s better than calling them ‘elite students’. I bet they just have more money or something,’ a boy sitting at the table behind them muttered.

‘Oliver is just jealous because all the girls here are after the elites and not him,’ Dylan laughed, patting a rather grumpy Oliver on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry – it’s a game to the girls. You know how hard the Candidians are to get. They’re lucky if they even receive a quick look in their direction, even if it’s just because of an annoying fly.’

‘They’re all too arrogant for their own good,’ Oliver hissed. ‘They think they’re way better than anyone else.’

This surprised Louis, since he had only met one of the elites so far, and he had been extremely nice and polite.

‘They can’t all be that bad,’ he said, trying to lighten the mood.

‘How would you know?’ Oliver retorted rudely. ‘You have only been here for like five minutes. I have spent three years here and, believe me, they are all the same – arrogant, ignorant and selfish.’

Louis flinched and stayed silent, turning away from Oliver and settling down on the empty chair next to Calvin. Dylan departed and sat down next to a girl across the room.

‘Just ignore Oli,’ Calvin whispered. ‘The idiot is just jealous because even with his good grades he didn’t get into the elite squad, even though after tried to befriend some of them.’

Louis’ new friend chuckled at the last bit and Louis gave him with a questioning look.

‘I’ll tell you at lunch. It’s quite a story, and we do not want to disrupt the whole class.’

The teacher turned out to be a young woman called Ms Williams, who was a strict but kind maths teacher. Louis enjoyed her lesson as much as was possible in his least favourite subject, but he was glad when the bell rang, his head swimming with all the different variables they had used today.

‘Lunch time!’ Calvin exclaimed and grabbed Louis’ arm, dragging him down the many stair cases and towards a long, wide corridor which led into a huge Dining Hall. There were several buffets filled with all kinds of food that made Louis’ mouth water.

‘Come on, big eyes!’ Calvin laughed and led him towards one of the buffets.

He was excitedly talking to Louis about some prank he and some other guys had played on of the teachers and the new boy didn’t notice the person standing in line, which caused him to bump into them.

‘Oops! Sorry!’ He said, turning around and immediately blanched.

‘Are you blind?’ The person hissed, clearly annoyed.

His eyes travelled from Calvin to Louis and the new boy recognised the cold blue eyes that bored into him immediately.

‘Well, well, well,’ the blonde said with a smirk. ‘Look who we have here. Have you settled in? Heard you didn’t even have to do something to enter. How does it feel, being the exception? No entry test, no school fees – just a bit of luck.’

Louis shivered at his nasty sneer and Calvin looked at him in surprise.

‘Is that true?’

Louis nodded quickly and blushed.

‘Are you some kind of unknown royalty?’ Calvin joked which made Louis smile slightly, shaking his head.

The blonde huffed and departed, having lost his appetite all of a sudden.

‘Didn’t know Niall could be such an idiot,’ Calvin said referring to the angry elite student. ‘But how _did_ you get in?’

‘I don’t know. Professor Redford and Harry said it had all been settled and I just had to fill out my entry form.’

‘Wish I had been so lucky. I just scraped through my exam. Never seen anything as hard as that damn test.’

Louis felt a pang of guilt. He had no idea why he had been let in without question. His grades hadn’t been the best and he had never participated in any competitions that might have looked good on his CV, which he didn’t have with him anyway.

They arrived at the buffet and filled their plates with steaming potatoes and sausages. Then Calvin led Louis to a table where several Caerulians sat, laughing at some joke Dylan had just told.

‘Ah, Louis!’ He said when he spotted the two friends approaching them. ‘Everyone, this is the new student, Louis Tomlinson.’

They all gave polite nods and some smiled warmly at him as he and Calvin sat at the end of the table.

‘So, you said you wanted to tell me some story,’ Louis began after several silent seconds while the rest of the group were still going on about the same joke.

‘Mhm,’ Calvin said, his mouth full of bits of sausage.

‘Oli tried to befriend some of the Candidians. First the library groups, but they always gave out because he was too loud, so he gave up after three days,’ Calvin began, putting his fork in his mouth every now and then. ‘But then he started trying different groups, even the sporty ones, although he isn’t the best in PE. Just shows how desperate he was. They all showed no interest in a friendship, so he tried to get to know their leader-’

‘They have a leader?’ Louis asked, astounded.

‘Yeah, all the girls rave about him. They all look good, but he just does something to all the females. Perhaps it’s because he’s the hardest to get, which makes him even more attractive- but that is unimportant. You see, Oli is not the most tactful person and he tried to act all snobbish and cool – which didn’t end well. All the Candidians were furious like a swarm of wasps when he just started chatting to their leader and when he didn’t react to Oli’s attempts at all, Oli got... well... Let’s just say he didn’t take the refusal well, so he got angry at the leader, who did not tolerate that kind of behaviour.’

Calvin sighed before he continued, ‘He got suspended for a week for showing disrespect. The leader is treated like royalty here. No one ever says anything against him.’

Louis nodded and was about to ask who that leader was so that he could do his best to avoid him when he felt a presence behind him. He looked up and was met with green eyes and a small smile.

‘Hello, Louis,’ Harry said in his usual calm tone. ‘I hope you have settled in well. It seems you have made a new friend.’

Louis barely noticed the sudden silence at his table as he nodded enthusiastically.

‘This is Calvin. Calvin, this is Harry Styles,’ he said, introducing his saviour to his gob smacked friend. ‘Harry was the one I was talking about, Calvin.’

Calvin seemed to be in some kind of stupor and barely understood what Louis was saying to him.

‘Lovely to meet you, Calvin,’ Harry said politely, offering his hand for Calvin to shake, who could merely nod.

Harry turned to Louis again as he retracted his hand.

‘Do you need anything?’

Louis shook his head and thanked him quietly.

‘If you should ever need anything, come and find me,’ Harry said softly but Louis heard a slightly stern undertone as he said that.

‘Okay,’ Louis whispered and felt Harry’s hand brush his shoulder lightly before the Candidian headed for a table at the other end of the Dining Hall. Louis stared at him and eventually tore his gaze away, looking at a gaping Calvin instead.

‘What?’ Louis said and then noticed that the crowd next to them was staring at him as well.

‘What?!’ His tone was harsher this time, not enjoying their shocked expressions that were trained on him, staring him down. ‘I told you not all Candidians were bad. You were the ones who chose to not believe me.’

‘Louis,’ Calvin said urgently. ‘Do you even know who that was?!’

‘I introduced him, didn’t I? He’s Harry Styles. According to him, Head Boy and obviously a Candidian,’ Louis muttered, looking down at his food that he had barely touched.

Calvin laughed at that and shook his head in disbelief.

‘Louis, that man isn’t just any Candidian. He’s the leader of the Candidians. The one that not a single Caerulian is allowed to even _look_ at.’

It was Louis’ turn to look at him in shock.

‘Harry is the leader?’

‘Don’t use his first name,’ Calvin hissed, glancing around worriedly.

‘Why not?’

‘If one of the other Candidians were to hear...’

‘He doesn’t mind when I call him that,’ Louis shot back, frustrated with his friend’s reaction. Couldn’t he be happy that Louis had made a Candidian friend when he hardly had any at all?

‘It’s considered disrespectful. Just don’t call him that anymore. Actually, stay away from him completely.’

Louis huffed in defeat and stood up, ignoring the looks everyone was giving him and leaving the Dining Hall instead. He eventually broke into a run and dashed towards what he believed was the bathroom. Tiredness overcame him like a huge wave and he was relieved when he discovered that his assumption had been correct. The bathroom was similar to the whole estate – large, bright and decorated with pillars and pictures that had been carved into the old stone walls. The cubicles were separated by solid walls and he locked himself into one, sliding down the wall and burying his head in his knees. Memories flooded into his brain and he let out a muffled sob as he thought of his family. Only then was he able to realise how alone he felt. His supposed friend was keeping him from associating himself with the leader of the elite students who happened to be his life saver. He owed that man so much and he had nothing to offer him at all. The man who was out of his reach, above everyone else at the entire school – apart from Professor Redford perhaps. And now Harry’s words made sense. He was something like a Head Boy, just a bit more than that. Sure, Dylan was something like a leader, but he did not have minions running around making sure that he was not harassed by some low-life Caerulians like him.

He had no idea how much time he had spent sitting on the cold marble floor, but he was startled when the door to the bathroom opened and a person stepped in.

 _Get a grip, Louis_ , he scolded himself. _It’s a public bathroom after all._

‘I know you’re here,’ a deep voice said and Louis whimpered.

It was Harry, the last person he wanted to see at this point in time.

‘Please don’t bother yourself. I’ll come out sooner or later,’ he said shakily, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying.

‘Why would you say that?’ Harry’s voice was as soft as silk and Louis noticed that he now stood right in front of his door.

‘Calvin told me that you’re the leader of the Candidians,’ Louis replied, shuddering at the memory of his friend telling him that a connection with Harry Styles was no good.

‘So?’

‘It wouldn’t be right to interfere with your life. He told me about what happened to Oli when he was disrespectful.’

Harry sighed and touched the door that was separating him from the boy.

‘Please, open the door, Lou.’

The nickname shocked Louis and he felt more tears pouring down. However, he obliged and turned the lock before Harry opened the door hastily and immediately crouched down in front of the boy.

‘Sh,’ Harry muttered, carefully stroking the boy’s hair. ‘Oliver was a totally different story. He showed disrespect in the foulest way. I have never considered you to be disrespectful. I think Calvin is just trying to keep you from experiencing something like that.’

‘He said the Candidians wouldn’t take it well.’

‘Well, the Candidians are my problem, not yours.’

Louis nodded and closed his eyes as Harry continued caressing his hair with soft touches.

‘You’re tired,’ Harry stated quietly. ‘Let me take you to your room.’

Louis nodded and stood up, his legs shaking slightly.

‘Can you walk?’

‘Yes,’ he said hastily, avoiding eye contact.

What was he thinking? He couldn’t get more involved with someone like Harry.

‘I’ll be fine,’ he muttered and started to exit the cubicle.

Harry snorted and followed him out, obviously not planning on leaving anytime soon.

‘Why do you care?’

The green eyed man stayed silent, watching as Louis took one tired step at a time. It was difficult to tell whether the question had offended him or affected him at all.

Louis was not going to let this go so easily, which is why he tried a different approach.

‘Calvin told me that the Candidians never give the Caerulians a second glance.’

‘He seemed very talkative, eh?’

‘You’re not being helpful here.’

‘You’re a persistent one,’ Harry mumbled, but it was not accusatory. His eyes shone with something that resembled admiration for the small boy that was barely standing on his own two feet.

‘This is not the right time or place to discuss this. I want you to go to bed and sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day, Louis. I told the headmaster you were feeling unwell, which is why you were not able to turn up at your lessons.’

Louis went white as Harry mentioned his classes. He had just skipped some lessons on his very first day.

‘Shit,’ he cursed, bringing a hand up to his face. ‘I will never be able to fit in.’

Harry frowned and led him further down the corridor to his room.

‘Of course you will.’

‘All the others took an entry exam. I got in just like that. The others won’t appreciate my easy entry the way you do.’

‘The others should be glad that they can make a new friend. You deserve this opportunity, Louis.’

The discussion was over, since they had reached Louis’ new dorm.

‘Thank you. For everything,’ Louis said sincerely. ‘I would be dead if it weren’t for you.’

Harry closed his eyes as if he had thought of something unpleasant before he opened them again, his green eyes blazing with raw emotion while he gave Louis a sad smile.

‘I’ll see you in the morning, Lou,’ he whispered and opened the door to the boy’s dorm.


	4. The Price to Pay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> In case you are confused:  
> I changed my profile name here because my previous one wasn't available on Wattpad, and I wanted to have the same name on both sites.  
> I also changed the chapter title of chapter 2 (which is chapter 3 here), since I wasn't happy about it in hindsight for several reasons.  
> Enjoy the update! x

‘NO!’ Louis shouted, glancing around and gasping for air. His hand fiddled around with his bedside lamp until he finally found the switch, turning the old thing on. Light filled his room and he sighed in relief while he wiped the sweat of his forehead.

‘It was just a dream. Just a dream,’ he chanted as he settled back down, leaving the light on.

It would take some time for him to grow accustomed to his new room, which was extremely plain and characterless compared to his old one.

He was too afraid to go back to sleep and his clock told him that he had another two hours before his alarm would go off. He drifted off into his thoughts, remembering the blazing red eyes staring at him from the shadows of his home. It had been a memory, not a nightmare. The red eyes that he had stared in wonder, whereas his mother had screeched, trying to get him away from the mesmerising gaze of the unknown person. The eyes had been cold, emotionless – hungry even. He hadn’t noticed the tears rolling down his cheeks, having believed that it had been his sweat. He walked to the bathroom and ignored the mirror above the sink as he washed his face with cold water. It wasn’t hard to imagine what he looked like right now – a nervous wreck.

After drying his face, he hopped back into bed and eventually gave up fighting against his weariness, the darkness consuming him once more.

*

‘Mate, are you alright?’

Calvin was staring at him with concern etched on his face while Louis continuously stabbed his scrambled eggs without actually eating them.

‘Didn’t sleep well,’ Louis mumbled.

‘Ah, I had the same problem. Don’t worry, the homesickness will get better after a few days!’

Louis’ fork clattered on the plate, drawing unwanted attention to him again.

‘Uh, I hope so,’ he said quickly, picking up his fork again.

He wasn’t as stupid as some Caerulians seemed to think. He _had_ seen their curious and accusing looks when he had entered the Dining Hall that morning. And yes, he had tried to desperately ignore them while he had fetched his eggs and toast before joining Calvin.

He had come to the conclusion that Harry was right; Calvin was only trying to protect him, since he had witnessed what had happened to Oli that time, while he himself had not.

‘What lessons do we have?’ Louis asked, hoping to change the topic smoothly.

‘We only have half day school today,’ Calvin said enthusiastically. ‘We start off with History, which is a bore, but then we have PE, which is pretty decent with our cool teacher.’

He had begun to ramble about all the things the PE teacher had done with them and Louis gave the occasional nod without really paying much attention.

He let his gaze wander through the Hall and caught the odd person staring at him from time to time. The only stare that wasn’t filled with hate, curiosity or jealousy was that of familiar green eyes that were watching his every move. Louis couldn’t hide the grin that crept in and he received one back, but something was different in Harry’s eyes. He just wasn’t sure what.

‘Are you even listening to me?’ Calvin interrupted their stare down and Louis blushed.

‘Er- sorry,’ he said sheepishly.

‘It’s fine, mate. See any girl you might fancy?’

Louis shook his head a bit too quickly and Calvin raised an eyebrow.

‘Whatever you say,’ Calvin said with a knowing smirk, which made Louis roll his eyes.

No, he definitely had not spotted a girl to ogle.

They left the Dining Hall together and headed towards the stair case. Louis spotted a group of Candidians a little way off, who seemed to be heading in the same direction as them.

‘We don’t share classes with Candidians, do we?’ Louis whispered to Calvin.

‘God, no. They have lessons on the same floors as us, but that’s as close as it gets.’

The Candidians glanced up at them and, surprisingly, stared at Louis for a bit longer than usual. He immediately felt uncomfortable under their heavy gazes and looked ahead in hopes of ignoring their stares. The looks they gave him did not go unnoticed by Calvin either.

‘First proper day at school and you’re already the most famous Caerulian,’ he said with an almost bitter tone.

‘Believe me when I say that I wish it wasn’t like that,’ Louis muttered sourly. ‘I would give anything to switch with some other Caerulian.’

‘What’s he like?’

‘Who?’  
‘The leader.’

Louis gulped and was unsure whether to answer that question or not.

‘Well, you met him. He’s very kind,’ he said slowly, careful not to say anything wrong with the Candidians still behind them.

‘So, how did you get to know him?’

‘He was in Professor Redford’s office when I filled in the forms,’ Louis said curtly, purposely avoiding the story about Harry finding him in the woods.

Something was bothering Calvin, he could feel it.

‘So you’re not related or something?’

‘What? No.’

It was staring to get extremely uncomfortable for Louis.

‘Did you know him before you came here?’

‘No.’

‘Did he know who you were?’

‘No.’

‘How did your parents get you in here with all those exceptions then?’

So that was the reason for this interrogation.

‘They didn’t,’ Louis muttered, praying that Calvin would just let it go, which he didn’t.

‘So they didn’t make a deal with Redford or something?’

‘What’s with all the questions?’ Louis asked harshly, fed up with Calvin’s invasive interrogation. ‘What is it to you?’

‘I want to know why you get all these exceptions!’ Calvin was equally annoyed. ‘First you enter this school without any further ado and then you have the leader of the Candidians talking to you as if you were one of them!’

‘I didn’t ask for this! Stop being jealous, Calvin! There is nothing to be jealous of!’

‘Oh yeah? How would you feel if someone made you look like crap just because he has something that you don’t have and you are reminded of it every single day?’

‘Why did you want to be friends with me then?’

‘Who said I wanted to?’

Louis’ face fell at that. He had hoped that Calvin would turn out to be his friend, a person he could trust – but he had lost that by just coming here without writing a few answers on a piece of paper.

‘Your parents must be great if they got you in here.’

This time it hit Louis hard. He felt the anger coursing through him as he took a deep breath before shouting, ‘My parents are dead!’

He hadn’t seen it happen, but he knew that there was no way they had survived. He was not delusional. Calvin stared at him with wide eyes, realising his mistake.

‘Louis-’

Louis backed away, shaking his head.

‘Stay away from me!’ he hissed through gritted teeth and suddenly his back collided with something.

The person’s presence alone was enough to give away the identity of the stranger behind him.

‘Harry...’ he muttered, closing his eyes in relief.

‘What did you do?’

The icy tone of Harry’s voice made Louis flinch and he remembered when Harry had spoken to Niall that way. He was furious with Calvin.

‘I- sir, I’m sorry-’ Calvin stuttered. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt Louis, I just-’

‘It’s not his fault, sir,’ Louis said quietly, catching Harry’s attention at once.

‘Don’t call me that,’ Harry demanded with a softer tone.

‘Sorry,’ Louis muttered, his cheeks reddening. ‘But he was just frustrated. I can understand that.’

‘Frustrated about what?’

Calvin looked down, gulping.

‘About Louis’ special treatment,’ he whispered and it was barely audible.

‘Louis receives the treatment and attention he deserves. Do not ever question that, Rodgers. He saw you as a loyal friend and I will not let you break his trust like that again.’

The leader’s tone sent chills down Louis’ spine and Calvin looked so pale that Louis was sure he would collapse any second. He felt a hand on his back and looked up, only to discover that Harry was already gazing at him, his face full of worry.

‘Are you alright?’ He asked quietly, so that only the new boy could hear. Louis nodded quickly, unable to do more. ‘I am sorry you had to relive that what you are trying to forget. He will not dare to mention it again if he is the loyal friend we both believe in.’

‘Thank you,’ Louis whispered. He seemed to say that to Harry a lot.

‘But, if he does dare to betray you for such a foolish thing again, I want you to find me and tell me. Understood?’

‘Yes, but I don’t think it will happen again.’

Louis just had to take a single look at a shaking Calvin to be able to say that. There was no way he would want to be met with Harry’s wrath again.

‘I hope so.’ Harry’s voice was sincere and he gave Louis one of his small smiles. ‘You better run along. Your class is about to start.’

Louis grabbed his bag again and took Calvin’s arm in one hand, dragging him along.

‘See you around, Harry!’ He called as they dashed towards the classroom.

‘Sir, I don’t think that boy’s popularity will rise anymore if you keep getting involved with him.’

Niall had appeared out of nowhere and walked next to Harry towards their morning class. He was one of the few people who were allowed at Harry’s table in the breaks. It was an honour for Niall and he savoured every second of his leader’s company.

‘ _That boy_ has a name, Niall. It won’t do you any harm to use it.’

The leader was back again and Niall was a little relieved at that. He hated the way Harry seemed to let his guard down around the new boy – the stranger that could turn out to be a potential danger.

‘Would you like me to run a background check on him?’ Niall offered, not bothering to hide his distrust.

‘I have all the information I need. Redford was very helpful, so there will be no need for any poking around, Niall.’

Niall was disgruntled by his leader’s distasteful tone. After all, he was only doing his job.

*

Louis was barely able to stay awake during his History lesson. The teacher’s boresome drawl was no help whatsoever as he tried to fight against his heavy eyelids.

Calvin had apologised over and over again, still in shock. When Louis was certain he had halfway recovered, he tried to start a conversation with him.

‘Listen, Calvin, I’m sorry for letting Harry deal with our mess. I wasn’t terribly loyal either,’ he admitted quietly.

‘No, Louis,’ Calvin said seriously. ‘I had no right to bring your family into that. It was a low blow.’

‘But you didn’t know...’

‘I still had no right to accuse them like that. You were in shock and he saw it. He just acted on instinct. It’s fine, Louis. I am the only one who’s at fault here, so don’t try to disagree with me on that.’

Louis huffed and blamed himself for his weakness.

Why couldn’t he handle a situation on his own?

He suddenly felt uncomfortable and looked behind him to find several girls giving him dirty looks.

 _Oh great..._ , he thought.

They continued their glares throughout the whole lesson and he was glad when class was finally over. That relief was short-lived, however, since the corridors were full of Caerulians that didn’t hide their loathing and jealousy. Whispers followed him on his way to PE and he was relieved that he had Calvin with him, who kept snapping at them for ogling the new student. They both knew that Louis’ arrival was not the cause for their hostility, but they were aware that explanations would only prove themselves as fruitless.

Yes, Louis did have contact with the Candidian leader. End of story. Or so they hoped.

PE turned out to be a nightmare for Louis. The teacher was extremely laid-back, but the student’s were Louis’ greatest worry. They had decided to play basketball, much to Louis’ dismay whose heart beat for a good game of football, and he had been the last to be picked for his team, who all groaned at the fact that they had to take him on. He ignored them and tried his best at the game, tackling the other team and getting the ball a few times. That was the only way he got the ball though, since his team ignored his existence, even when he was the only one who wasn’t blocked by the other team, they simply refused to pass the ball to him. Calvin, whose team was watching, shot him pitying looks sometimes but Louis merely shrugged, acting as though he couldn’t care less about his own team’s spite. But if he thought that that was bad, he was terribly mistaken.

He ran to the other end of the field when one of his team mates raced towards the net, the other team sprinting after her. Suddenly, someone pushed him roughly to the ground and he fell, catching his attacker’s evil grin before hitting the floor. It had been his own team mate.

‘Hey! What was that for?!’

Ignoring the rules and the ongoing game, Calvin ran towards them and glared at Louis’ burly team mate.

‘Calvin-’ Louis tried, but his friend was having none of it.

‘Well?!’

‘I didn’t see him. Look how small he is. Surprised the Candidians even notice he’s there with his two foot one size.’

‘Five foot nine,’ Louis muttered, getting up from the ground.

It had been a rather rough estimation, but no one had to know. His team mate didn’t seem to be very good at maths either, since he replied with ‘Whatever, wimp.’

‘Apologise to Louis, Matt,’ Calvin ordered, but Matt just laughed it off.

‘Why? He should know his place and I helped him find it.’

Calvin lunged at Matt, punching him on the nose.

‘That’s what you get for insulting my friend,’ he spat, grabbing Louis and dragging him to the side of the field.

‘Calvin?’ Louis asked uncertainly. He had never seen Calvin this angry before.

‘If Redford had seen that he would have been expelled before he could have had the chance to say ‘basketball’, I can assure you,’ Calvin snarled.

‘Calvin, it’s fine. The game is still on.’

‘You’re not playing with those idiots. What if you get hurt?’

He was worse than a hen with her chicks right now.

‘Calvin, I can’t just leave like that. How am I ever going to survive at this school if I keep ditching? I skipped my afternoon lessons yesterday, I can’t continue like this.’

‘Oh yeah, where were you?’

‘Stop ignoring me and just let go of me.’

‘No, Louis. Class ends in five minutes anyway.’

They sat down on the benches next to the field and watched Louis’ team lose spectacularly.

‘Bet they would have won if they had given you a chance,’ Calvin growled as they headed towards the changing rooms.

‘Do you think it’s just because of the Candidians that they hate me so much?’

‘I dunno, mate. Wouldn’t surprise me. Maybe word got around about how you entered or something.’

Louis nodded and grabbed his uniform. He was proud to wear it, but wasn’t sure if the others appreciated it as much as he did. He was certain that they wouldn’t have minded if he had ended up as dinner for the wolves in the forest – apart from Calvin and maybe even Harry.

Was Harry regretting it? Was he enduring as much hatred from the Candidians as he was from the Caerulians?

‘Lou, you look awful. Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?’

‘Nah, I’m just a bit tired,’ Louis replied and smiled weakly.

Calvin was obviously not convinced, but he didn’t press further.

‘So,’ Louis began in a desperate attempt to change the topic, ‘what’s the plan?’

‘Lunch. We’ll see what Dylan and the guys are up to.’

They raced each other back to the Dining Hall, dodging the other students. Calvin arrived first and had handled the run better than Louis, who was panting by the time they reached the buffets.

They grabbed their club sandwiches and walked to their usual spot, where the others were already seated.

‘Hey guys,’ Calvin called happily.

Their faces fell when they saw Calvin’s friend and the conversation died down.

‘Um, hi,’ Louis said awkwardly. ‘Do you mind if we sit here?’

They slowly shook their heads and Louis hated the tension that had arisen. Calvin stayed silent as well, grimacing as no one talked for several minutes after their arrival.

Louis glanced around as usual and his heart sank when he saw that Harry’s table was unoccupied. He noticed that several Candidians were missing, but he shook it off. It was none of his business.

‘So, Louis,’ Dylan suddenly spoke up. ‘Carla Redford told me that you entered without an examination. She’d know, since she’s the headmaster’s daughter. Is it true, though? Or is she fooling us?’

Louis gulped and looked at Calvin who was staring at Dylan pleadingly, hoping that the Head Boy would just drop it.

‘Well?’ Dylan pressed and everyone at the table stared at him expectantly.

‘It’s true,’ Louis admitted, his gaze cast to the ground in shame.

Even Dylan, who had been so friendly in the beginning, had that reproachful look on his face now.

‘I see.’ His tone was cold and Louis felt even more miserable than he had in PE.

‘Ignore them, Louis,’ Calvin said reassuringly. ‘They don’t know why.’

‘I don’t even know why.’

‘You don’t? Isn’t it pretty simple? The headmaster took pity in you.’

‘The headmaster didn’t know about my past. No one does. Except for you and maybe Harry, and the two of you don’t even know half of it.’

Calvin’s face fell but Louis’ expression warned him not to ask further. They ate in silence until they were finished, leaving the table without sparing the others a second glance.

News about Louis Tomlinson’s easy entry spread like wildfire, and if Louis thought that the looks that morning had been spiteful, then he didn’t have a clue how to describe the looks he was receiving now.

The afternoon had been spent in the luscious garden of the estate near the pond full of koi and frogs. They had a bit of homework to do and the place seemed perfect for that. It was also quiet and hidden from the rest of the Caerulians, which was a huge plus. Louis ended up falling asleep under the weeping willow with the history book on his stomach.

And for the first time in several days, he slept peacefully.


	5. Lifesaver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> So sorry for taking ages to update, I didn't have any wifi the past few weeks, so I couldn't upload anything :(  
> I'll try and update regularly, but I'm in my Leaving Cert year now, so it mightn't always be on time  
> Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Em x

‘Lou? Looouuu,’ someone said and Louis groaned.

‘What?’ He mumbled.

‘The supper bell just rang. We should go inside before they close the gates to the garden,’ Calvin said and Louis eventually got up, stretching his tired body.

Calvin had found them a table in the corner, away from most of the nasty Caerulians, especially from Dylan and his gang, who had turned out to be the worst of the lot.

‘I’m sorry that I ruined your friendship,’ Louis admitted remorsefully.

‘Who would want to be friends with a bunch of jealous losers? I have a good friend, which is worth a lot more than a friendship with that ignorant bunch. They’re worse than the Candidians!’

Louis’ heart warmed at Calvin’s kind words. He really was very loyal towards the boy who had only spent two days at this school.

He had a perfect view on the ‘High Table’ from where they sat. The name did not refer to the table the teachers sat at, but the one where the leader of the Candidians was seated. Harry was looking around as well, seemingly looking for something. Their eyes met and Harry’s stayed fixed on Louis instead of continuing their search.

‘He looks at you a lot, you know.’

Louis tore his gaze away from the emeralds that glistened in the light of the chandeliers above to turn to Calvin instead.

‘What?’

‘The leader. He stares at you nearly the entire time when we’re here. I bet people will start noticing too. He’s very interested in you, eh?’

‘I bet he doesn’t stare at _me_ all the time. The room is really large, so it might be difficult to tell where he’s looking. Besides, why would he want to look at me?’

‘Why does he talk to you? Why does he protect you?’ Calvin laughed. ‘Louis, he obviously keeps an eye on you, we both know that. But on the other hand, you only see him like that, so you don’t know what he’s like when you’re not gracing us with your presence.’

Louis scoffed and rolled his eyes. He still doubted that Harry had _that_ much interest in him.

‘I’m glad the weekend has started,’ Calvin said, grinning. ‘Love the weekends. The trips, the _parties_. Bloody amazing.’

‘They have parties here?’

‘Yeah, every Saturday night. Redford says it’s to bond Caerulians and Candidians, but that obviously hasn’t worked so far. The groups stay the same, but it’s so cool. They turn the whole Dining Hall into a party room and the music is fantastic.’

Louis’ eyes went wide. His family’s birthday parties hadn’t been anything like that. Thinking of his family again was painful though, and he quickly thought about the party coming up instead.

‘Sounds amazing,’ he said happily, digging into his meal, finally able to ignore all the negativity. He saw the positive sides of being at Caedian; Calvin, the old and beautiful building, the wonderful sounding weekends and... Harry, the man who had made it all possible. His face dropped when he thought about his usual worry.

‘What?’ Calvin noticed the change of Louis mode instantly.

‘I don’t know how to repay Harry for everything he has done,’ Louis sighed sadly.

‘You mean his intervention this morning?’

‘Not exactly, no.’

Calvin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

‘What is it then?’

Louis took a deep breath and made sure that nobody was close enough to hear before leaning forward a bit.

‘He... he saved my life,’ he simply said. Calvin’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Whoa- What?!’

‘Sh!’ Louis hissed, afraid that someone might listen in. ‘He found me and brought me here. He’s the reason why I am in your class and not somewhere out in the forest.’

‘The forest?!’

‘Calvin, I swear to God, if you don’t shut your mouth I will not explain any further and leave you to imagine it.’

Calvin froze and sat still, full of anticipation.

‘I was lost in the woods,’ Louis told him, leaving the unpleasant details out. ‘He found me and brought me here. When I woke up I was sent to Redford, who offered a place at the school and Harry was there when I made the decision. He said he wanted to treat me as an equal, someone who would be able to live the same life as all of you.’

‘Wow,’ Calvin uttered in awe. ‘So that’s why you got in. The leader gave you a second chance in life.’

‘I guess you could put it that way,’ Louis muttered. ‘That’s why I didn’t understand why you disliked the Candidians, since the one I had met had an amazingly kind nature.’

Calvin nodded, understanding Louis totally.

‘You know, Louis, you might be the first Caerulian to have had a proper conversation with a Candidian. I have never heard of it before.’

Louis blushed and pushed his now empty plate away. He was totally worn out, longing for his comfortable bed.

‘I think I’ll head off,’ he announced.

‘Wha- oh yeah, I think I’ll turn in as well. See you at breakfast!’

*

The next morning had arrived and Louis felt as tired as before, maybe even more so. His night had been rough, several nightmares forcing him to wake up in fright. They would just not leave him alone it seemed.

When Calvin saw him, his smile faltered as he saw the state his best friend was in.

‘Jesus, Lou,’ he gasped. ‘Did you sleep at all?’

‘A bit.’ Louis shrugged and sat down next to Calvin, resting his head on his arms.

‘I’m just glad we don’t have classes today.’

‘We could go back to the gardens,’ Calvin suggested, worried. ‘You fell asleep there yesterday too.’

‘But what about _your_ day? I can’t let you just sit around while I sleep.’

Calvin rolled his eyes, shaking his head before giving Louis a pointed look.

‘Louis, it’s fine. Come on, grab a bun and we’ll head out. Everyone is going to town this afternoon, so you can rest until we leave.’

Louis followed Calvin out and they settled under the weeping willow once more, Louis enjoying the grass tickling his cheeks. The soft breeze stroked his face and he smiled, content and relaxed for the first time since he had entered the school. But his happiness was not meant to last.

‘What do you think you’re doing, wimp?’

He shot up and stared at the offender with wide eyes.

It was one of Dylan’s old mates.

‘Can I help you?’ Louis asked, his voice laced with annoyance. He had enough of this crap.

‘I wouldn’t be so full of myself if I were you,’ the boy hissed. ‘Some people might want to do something about that.’

‘Some people like _you_ , I suppose?’

Surprisingly, he didn’t regret saying it out loud. He was actually satisfied with himself for standing up against all the prejudice.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Calvin sit there awkwardly, torn between whether to step in or not. He couldn’t trigger a fight with Dylan’s closest mate – his friend would have the whole school after him if he did.

‘Shut it, Tomlinson,’ the nasty boy sneered. ‘No one is interested in what a dumb twat like you has to say. What did you say to Redford? Did mummy and daddy have enough of their nuisance of a son?’

Louis lunged at him and brought him to the ground, raising his arm to punch the idiot’s face. But the other one was quicker, rolling them over and pinning his arms to the ground.

‘That was a mistake, Tomlinson,’ he hissed spitefully. ‘You’ll pay for that. Just you wait.’

‘Stop, Rick,’ Calvin said nervously. ‘Just leave it. You’ll both be suspended otherwise.’

‘Standing up for the wimp, Rodgers?’ Rick laughed. ‘You disappoint me. I thought you chose the right people to hang out with – and I don’t mean this leech that attaches itself to influential people so that he can get whatever he wants.’

Louis felt a pang in his chest as he heard those words that were spat as if they were venomous. And he was the cause for it. The weight suddenly lifted off his body and Rick stalked off, his head held high in an arrogant fashion. Louis glanced at Calvin, who was biting his lip and staring at the ground.

‘Um, let’s just get ready for the trip, yeah?’ Calvin said uncertainly, almost running back inside and avoiding a conversation that way.

The new boy had never felt as guilty as he did now. It seemed to be eating him from the inside and he hated being the reason for Calvin’s suffering. He wasn’t sure if this friendship was forced, forced by a leader that frightened the living daylight out of Calvin. Louis crawled behind some bushes, only to find Niall sitting there, flicking stones into the pond with a bored expression. He caught Louis staring at him and rolled his eyes.

‘I was wondering if you were beaten, it was unusually quiet,’ the blonde said, grabbing another pebble.

‘You listened?’

Niall scoffed. ‘You weren’t exactly quiet. Ruined the peaceful atmosphere here. Want me to run to Master Styles and tell him that his little boy nearly got himself into a dumb fight?’

‘I’m not his little boy,’ Louis mumbled, blushing.

‘Sure you aren’t,’ Niall said sarcastically. ‘As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I have a message to deliver to him.’

‘Please don’t tell him,’ Louis begged and Niall raised an eyebrow.

‘Why shouldn’t I? He harassed you. Styles won’t be pleased, but he’ll get over it once he sees you’re in one piece.’

‘I don’t want him to interfere. I have already ruined Calvin’s life here with our friendship; I don’t want that happen to Harry.’

‘Don’t you dare use his name like that!’ Niall snapped, making Louis flinch. ‘But I won’t tell him about this little... _incident_ of yours.’

‘Thank you,’ Louis said genuinely.

He received a quick nod before Niall departed, heading to the West Wing, where the Candidians stayed. Even though Louis didn’t get along with Niall too well, he wished he had stayed a bit longer. He hated being lonely, especially in this huge and unknown place. A few female Caerulians passed and pointed at him, starting a whispered conversation with the occasional giggle. He rolled his eyes and lay back down, blocking out the rest of the world and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

*

This time he woke up by himself. The garden was deserted and the only audible sound was the quiet splashing of the fountain’s water hitting the pond’s surface. His heart sank when he realised that Calvin hadn’t returned, which automatically made him believe that their friendship had been forced after all. He didn’t blame Calvin though – he was a boy that dragged along so many problems that many weren’t able to handle. How would they though, if he wasn’t able to do so himself? It was probably the best thing for him to keep his distance.

‘Louis! What the hell are you waiting for?’ A familiar voice suddenly called out and made the boy jump in surprise.

Maybe his distrust was a bit over-the-top.

Calvin stood in the doorway that led to the gardens, waving und urging him to hurry up. Louis sprinted towards him with a smile, joining his friend to the large double doors that led outside. The whole school seemed to have assembled in the Entrance Hall, including nearly all the Candidians, who completely ignored the longing eyes of the Caerulians surrounding them. It was strange to see all the Caerulian students that thought the Candidians were stuck-up and a waste of time drooling over them as soon as they shared the same space with them.

The doors were opened and the large group streamed out, the masses of people in blue uniforms practically racing down the driveway and towards the woods.

‘The walk will take about five minutes,’ Calvin informed him as they strolled along, not bothering to get a move on.

Louis took in his surroundings with curious eyes. Large fields surrounded the estate, and enormous pine trees encircled them, almost shutting them into their own little world. He silently wondered how Harry had been able to find him – the grounds were huge.

 _Fate must have been on your side_ , his subconscious remarked in a snide fashion and he silently agreed.

After following the path through the quiet forest, they found themselves at the edge of a small, bustling town.

‘Welcome to Wolvershire,’ Calvin said, causing Louis to return to the real world again.

Wolvershire had several small shops that were filled with Caedian students of all ages. Sweet shops, supermarkets, boutiques and music stores were some of the few little places that were accessible for them. Calvin had run off to one of the supermarkets, hoping to get a special edition of some small device and leaving a confused Louis behind. The boy felt lost in the town, not knowing his way around nor how to get back to the academy. Surprisingly, all the students had vanished, so he couldn’t just follow some in the hope that they would eventually lead him back. He was unaware of the eyes that watched him in the shadows, the person silently awaiting his next move.

He sighed in frustration and made his way to a small café, ordering a hot chocolate. As he sipped at it, he stilled.

‘Shit,’ he hissed, rummaging all his pockets.

His last savings had been in a small box under his bed at home. He couldn’t pay for the hot chocolate. Downing the rest of the beverage, he awkwardly made his way to the counter, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

‘Hello, dear,’ the woman said warmly. ‘How can I help you?’

‘Um- my- um- my hot chocolate...’ He stuttered, embarrassed at his stupidity and forgetfulness.

‘Yes, that has been taken care of,’ she explained, not noticing his nervousness and continuing with whatever she was doing.

‘It has?’ He asked in surprise.

She nodded, a kind smile on her face.

‘Someone came by a while ago and paid for it. You’re a Caedian student aren’t you?’

‘Yes,’ he said quickly. ‘I’m new here, so I don’t know how to get back.’

‘You poor thing, I’ll be happy to give you the directions, but I hope you’ll come back soon. I don’t usually have too many customers in winter, so it would be nice if you came to chat every once in a while.’

‘Um, sure,’ he shrugged as her smile grew wider.

‘Wonderful! All you have to do is follow this road to the crossing and turn right. You will come across a path there, just follow it and you’ll arrive at the academy in no time.’

‘Thank you.’

He grabbed his coat and dashed out, the never-ceasing smile of the old lady staring to scare him. It seemed unnatural, but he had other things to worry about right now. The town resembled the ghost towns in the books he had secretly read as a child, even though his parents had forbidden him to do so, which made the idea even more appealing than before. He was just waiting for some bad omen to cross his path which would awaken zombies or summon the ghosts seeking revenge. None of these incredulous things happened, obviously, but the atmosphere still sent chills down the young boy’s back.

He had finally reached the crossing where the road signs were bent and rusty, the fading letters illegible. It made him wonder how old this town actually was with all the broken and incomplete things, including some of the houses he had passed.

As the old woman had said, he reached the pathway that led towards the forest. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he looked around before following the nearly hidden trail.

‘Tomlinson!’

Louis spun around in surprise, his heart slowly regaining its normal speed when he noticed that it was only Niall. With each step Louis was able to see his facial expression more distinctly. It was a mixture between worry and anger.

‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?!’ The Irishman exclaimed once he had reached the Caerulian.

‘Sorry?’ Louis said, confused. ‘I was told this path would lead me to the estate.’

‘Well, whoever told you that was either a nutter or a drug addict,’ Niall huffed. ‘That path would lead you nowhere apart from the deepest parts in the woods with loads of twisting paths and trees that all look the same.’

‘Oh,’ was all Louis could think of.

Niall rolled his eyes and stalked off, obviously expecting Louis to follow his lead, which he did. He felt ashamed of trusting a stranger like that.

Not a single word was uttered the whole way to the school, which turned out to be located in the opposite direction of where Louis had gone, which embarrassed him even more for trusting some person with a fake smile.

 _You really need to work on that sense of direction of yours_ , his subconscious added in a scolding tone, making him hang his head lower.

Was he able to do anything right?

The sun was slowly beginning to set behind the towering pine trees of the woods, indicating that the party would soon begin. The rest of the students had probably already returned and were preparing themselves for the event.

Niall headed straight for the West Wing once they had entered the Entrance Hall, leaving Louis to look for his dormitory by himself. This time, though, his sense of direction did not fail him and he found himself standing in front of his mirror only a few minutes later.

His wardrobe was nearly vacant, since he only had two sets of uniforms that had been provided by the school and nothing from his previous life. So, not having much of a choice, he decided to simply wear his white shirt and a pair of blue uniform trousers.

He slowly headed downstairs and heard the bustle of students streaming in the same direction as him, excitement and laughter filling the air.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad – they mightn’t even notice his presence.


	6. First Names and Friendships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry, it took longer than I expected >.

His eyes grew wide when he entered the Dining Hall. The long tables had been pushed against the walls and had been replaced by large round tables with white table clothes. On every table stood a vase filled with fluorescent water that reflected on the white cloth underneath. One of the school bands was playing on a small platform near the spot where the buffet usually stood, which had also disappeared and had been replaced with several fog machines. Small lights decorated the towering walls and beams of light danced around the room. All the tables were taken and he caught himself searching for Calvin, shaking his head when he remembered the morning events and how he had been deserted in a town unknown to him. He strolled around, dodging the happy students that rushed around and danced to the band’s music. Even though he enjoyed watching everyone having a good time, he felt out of place. The feeling had always followed him his whole life, apart from the time he spent at home. The villagers had avoided his family for some unexplainable reason, which made it hard for him and his sisters to make friends, even at school. He had hoped for a new beginning here, where people might not be as judgemental, but maybe that was an unavoidable human trait.

Louis spotted Calvin by accident. His classmate sat at a table, laughing at something someone had said. The new boy felt his heart sink when he saw who the other occupants of the table were. Dylan, Rick and the rest of the stupid gang were there, having a good time without him. Calvin seemed to notice that someone was staring and looked up, causing Louis to tear his gaze away and concentrate on the floor instead, while he made his way back towards the entrance. After all, there was no reason for him to stay here on his own.

‘Louis Tomlinson?’

He spun around and came face to face with a pretty girl with short black hair that was full of corkscrew curls. When he took a closer look though, he gulped.

She was, without a doubt, a Candidian.

‘Can I help you?’ He asked nervously, silently praying that no one would notice their interaction.

‘So you are Louis!’ She said, relieved. ‘I’ve been looking for you.’

‘You have?’

It was beyond him why she would bother looking for the most unpopular boy of the entire school, yet she seemed unfazed.

‘Yes,’ she stated, her calm nature returning. ‘Master Styles asked for you.’

‘Oh,’ Louis muttered, blushing. ‘Does he need my assistance for anything?’

‘No, he would like you to join his table.’

Her bluntness caught him by surprise and his red cheeks turned pale in a matter of seconds as his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

Well, that was unexpected.

‘Now?’ He squeaked.

‘Yes. Come on, we don’t want to keep him waiting. He does have the worst patience ever.’

She grabbed his arm and led him through the crowds of happy students, who didn’t notice him with the Candidian, much to his relief.

She led him up the steps leading to the small podium where Harry and his people usually sat during the normal meals.

The leader was in a deep conversation with Niall, which the girl interrupted with a small cough.

Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow, clearly annoyed at the unprofessional behaviour, but his features softened when he saw the reason behind it.

‘I caught him before he left, sir,’ she explained, gesturing to the nervous wreck behind her.

‘Louis,’ he called softly and she ushered him to her leader, since he seemed to be frozen to the spot.

Harry smiled warmly and gestured to the empty chair next to him.

‘Sit.’

Louis went even paler than before, if that was even possible, but complied without fainting. He had not expected to be seated right next to the leader of the elite half of the school. It was obvious that he wasn’t the only one surprised at that; the others were shooting him curious looks, not bothering with being inconspicuous about it.

‘I am glad Christina found you in time,’ Harry said, nodding approvingly towards the girl that had brought Louis here. ‘I saw you enter on your own. Where was Calvin?’

Louis gulped and quickly thought of something that wouldn’t make Harry angry at the boy again.

‘We were supposed to meet here, but I couldn’t find him,’ he lied, shivering at Harry’s frown.

‘Would you mind telling me the real reason?’ Harry asked, but without a trace of menace in his tone. Louis was actually certain that he had heard disappointment instead, which turned out to be even worse than anger.

Disappointment? Because he had chosen to lie?

‘I- um...’ Louis stuttered, embarrassed at being caught. ‘I didn’t want to interfere with his friendship with the other classmates. He was having a good time. I didn’t want to interrupt.’

‘Why? Don’t they see the need in having a new friend?’

Louis shook his head sadly, choosing the short version of the story.

‘They know how I entered.’

Harry scoffed angrily, muttering some incoherent words.

‘Ignore their jealousy, Lou,’ he eventually said after his quiet mantra.

Louis’ heart fluttered at the nickname and he smiled weakly.

‘I will,’ he whispered and somehow Harry had heard it despite the rather loud music in the background.

‘Let’s not dwell on this. I was planning on having a nice evening.’

‘Right,’ Louis agreed.

One of the waiters that were serving detention came by and Harry glanced down at Louis.

‘What would you like?’ He asked.

Louis was relieved that the tension seemed to have left the man’s body and turned around to the waiter to order, but as he opened his mouth, he recognised the waiter and froze, his mouth still open.

‘Oliver?’ He gasped in shock.

This would not end well – he didn’t need a fortune teller to establish that.

Oliver was equally stupefied by his discovery. Louis Tomlinson, the new kid, was sitting directly next to _Harry Styles_ – something he hadn’t achieved in these three years of hard trying. He snapped out of his trance and gritted his teeth.

‘Louis,’ he said curtly.

Harry gave him a disapproving look, obviously dissatisfied with his abilities as a ‘volunteering’ waiter. Oliver forced a fake smile on his face and glanced at Louis again.  
‘What can I get you?’

Louis’ discomfort was clearly visible to everyone at the table and it concerned Harry, who carefully placed his arm on the back of the boy’s chair in an attempt to reassure him without touching him.

‘A coke,’ Louis answered quickly, turning away from Oliver and staring down at his lap.

How many more challenges would he have to face today?

Suddenly, he felt long fingers brush his back and he looked up, his eyes meeting green ones that were filled with concern.

‘Are you alright?’ Harry whispered in a low voice that only Louis could hear.

Louis gave an unconvincing nod, but Harry did not pry further.

‘Master Styles, sir,’ the male Candidian across from Louis said. ‘Who is this Caerulian?’

The others stared at the man in awe – or was it horror? Louis wasn’t sure with all the light effects in the room – before glancing at Harry, their eager faces giving away their interest in the leader’s answer.

‘This is Louis Tomlinson, the new student of our school,’ Harry explained, his expressionless face returning again.

‘Lovely to meet you, Mr Tomlinson.’

Several copied the man’s approach, some even giving a polite nod. Louis had never felt as embarrassed as he did then.

Oliver returned with Louis’ coke after several minutes, almost slamming it down on the table. Harry glared at him in warning before he looked back at Louis, who tentatively sipped at the cool glass full of caffeine and fizzing bubbles.

After a while, the group at the table had lost their curiosity and started talking quietly to each other while Harry’s arm still rested on Louis’ chair. The boy looked at the dance floor, feeling himself become drowsy again, despite all the coke he had drunk already.

He eventually felt a finger on his chin that forced him to look at the beautiful man beside him. The lights danced around the long curls that fell just below his shoulders and his gorgeous face was illuminated by the fluorescent vase on the table. His eyebrows were furrowed as he scanned Louis’ face.

‘You look tired,’ he stated matter-of-factly. ‘Are you having trouble sleeping?’

Louis didn’t dare to lie to him again, so he tried to shrug it off.

‘Yes, but it’s fine,’ he said, forcing a reassuring smile on his face, which probably looked more like a creepy grimace.

‘Is it the room? Are you lonely? I could ask Calvin to switch rooms-’

Louis shook his head frantically. There was no way he would involve Calvin in his night terrors.

‘What is troubling your sleep?’

He was obviously going to stay persistent.

The boy sighed before answering.

‘I have nightmares,’ he whispered, avoiding Harry’s gaze.

The finger under his chin disappeared and he looked up in surprise, only to see Harry with his eyes closed and a pained expression on his face.

‘It’s nothing important, I’ll be fine,’ Louis assured quickly, scared that Harry was possibly considering him weak.

When Harry opened his eyes again he looked at Louis sadly.

‘Don’t say it like that,’ the leader said with an anguished tone. ‘You are worth so much more than you think.’

Again, Louis looked away, not believing Harry.

‘I drag everyone into my problems, it doesn’t matter how much I try to keep them safe,’ he muttered. ‘I don’t want you to start worrying about me.’

‘Start?’ Harry repeated, clearly astounded. ‘I worry about you constantly, Louis. Since the minute I found you in that god-awful forest.’

Louis flinched and tried to calm his racing heart.

‘Please don’t, Harry,’ he said, the red eyes returning in his mind.

They vanished instantly though when he noticed the shocked faces around him.

 _Now what?_ He thought, annoyed with all the attention.

He could see Niall shaking his head out of the corner of his eye.

_‘Don’t you dare use his name like that!’_

Oh, that’s what this was about. He knew Harry didn’t mind calling him by his Christian name in private, but did that also count for an occasion like this one?

‘Sorry, sir,’ he rushed out. ‘I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.’

Harry frowned at Louis, trying to comprehend what the student meant.

‘I told you not to call me that,’ he growled, frustration flashing in his eyes fleetingly. ‘We agreed on simply using ‘Harry’, did we not?’

Small gasps escaped some of the others’ mouths and Louis wished he could just vanish into thin air.

‘Yes,’ he squeaked.

No one was able to hide their astonishment at this point. Even Niall, Harry’s closest trustee, was dumbfounded, which was a rare sight. It was extremely tiring for Louis, so he leaned over to Harry in the hope that the others wouldn’t hear him. Harry lowered his head in response, sensing that Louis wanted to say something for only his ears to hear.

‘I think I’ll head to bed,’ Louis whispered.

‘Good. I will see you tomorrow,’ Harry replied lowly and it sounded a lot like a promise.

Louis bade everyone a good night and smiled shyly at Harry one last time before heading towards the exit, a pair of green eyes following him until he passed through the doors and into a corridor.

*

‘According to the teachers, Louis is very held back and quiet.’

‘He doesn’t get enough sleep. He’s exhausted.’

Harry was sitting on a chintz armchair in Redford’s office, taking a sip of wine while Redford looked through some papers at his desk.

‘Is he unhappy in his room?’

‘According to him, no,’ Harry replied, tilting his glass slightly in a circular motion as he watched the dark red liquid slowly slosh around. ‘He suffers from nightmares. Night terrors, most likely.’

Redford sighed sadly, looking up at Harry.

‘I wish I could help him.’

‘Not as much as I do,’ Harry said bitterly, placing his crystal glass on the table top. ‘I wanted to give him a new start so that he could leave his past behind.’

‘You and I both know that that was very unlikely to happen, Harry. His past will always haunt him, no matter how hard you try to protect him from it. It’s a part of him.’

‘I have never felt so helpless. I usually always have _everything_ under control. I want to make him forget, but I am failing at it while he falls apart before me.’

Redford shot him a sympathetic look.

‘You care a lot about him, don’t you?’

‘He is so precious to me, it frightens me. I have never experienced anything quite like it,’ Harry said absentmindedly. ‘That is why he has to be protected. No one will touch him as long as I’m here.’

Redford nodded, piling the sheets of paper.

‘Neither Candidians nor Caerulians will appreciate your affection towards him,’ Redford warned, but Harry scoffed.

‘If you think their silly jealousy will keep me from protecting Louis, you are terribly mistaken, Redford.’

‘You might be unaffected, but Louis mightn’t be as tough as you,’ Redford reasoned. ‘He will be the one to pay for their jealousy. No one would dare to come near you. He is a new boy that got in because you persuaded me into taking him in, after all. Others had to work hard for this, and all he had to do was touch your heart.’

‘You make it sound like it’s a bad thing he did,’ Harry growled. ‘I don’t see how anyone could harm him. He’s the purest being I have ever seen. Untouchable to any of them, unreachable when it comes to kindness. He is afraid that he will ruin friendships with his presence; no one in their right mind would say something like that. We are all selfish, yet he is anything but. They are blind if they can’t see it.’

Redford knew that Harry was convinced he was right, so he didn’t bother arguing any further.

‘If you say so. Keep an eye on him, Harry.’

‘I wasn’t planning on doing any less.’

Harry rose from the armchair and exited the room with swift strides, heading back towards the West Wing, his silent footsteps unheard by anyone else.


	7. A Nightmare Come True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again,  
> Just a quick update for anyone interested :3  
> Enjoy! x

Louis woke once again from his restless sleep, tossing his duvet aside and groggily walking towards his wardrobe. It was Sunday and he remembered Calvin mentioning a sports day during one of their lessons, so he grabbed some sports gear someone had brought back from the cleaners. He was reminded of his PE lesson and instantly shuddered at the saddening memory. Perhaps they would do individual sports today instead of team activities.

He strolled past the Dining Hall, not feeling terribly hungry, and instead made his way towards the sports ground outside, where several people were already warming up. To his surprise, he spotted several Candidians in their white and red sports gear, running a few laps around the football field. Calvin was also there, surrounded by Dylan’s gang again, which was why Louis didn’t even bother approaching him – not that he should have anyway, since he had sworn not to stand between the boy and his friends.

He did some stretching exercises, keeping his eyes locked to the ground when more and more students arrived. Someone suddenly grabbed the back of his jersey and pulled him towards the back of the stands. He was roughly shoved towards the wall, causing him to stumble before he caught himself. He abruptly turned around and blanched.

‘Oliver?’

The boy smirked, grabbing a hold of Louis’ collar.

‘So,’ he sneered. ‘Think you’re special, eh?’

‘N- no,’ Louis gasped frantically. ‘I would never-’

‘How did you do it, huh?’

‘Do what?’

The crazy look in Oliver’s eyes was scaring the life out of him. Oliver was dangerous, there was no doubt. A fist collided with his stomach, causing him to groan in pain as he sank to his knees.

‘Don’t act stupid!’ Oliver shouted. ‘How did you get to sit at the table with Styles?!’

‘I don’t know!’ Louis forced out, clutching his stomach. ‘It’s not like I asked for it!’

It felt as though the pain was spreading through his whole body, sparks of agony coursing through him like wildfire.

‘Liar!’

This time the jealous boy’s foot landed on his waist and Louis yelped helplessly, his body sinking completely to the floor as Oliver continued his assault.

Tiredness and fatigue kept him from rising again, so he just let the other do whatever he deemed necessary.

Tears cascaded down his cheeks and he regretted every decision he had made; accepting Redford’s offer, becoming friends with Calvin and joining Harry at the table the night before – but the thing he regretted most was abandoning his family when they needed him most, avoiding a sacrifice for the people he loved. Now he had nobody.

Oliver had had enough of his revenge and walked off, leaving Louis behind with a numb body and more tears.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he made an effort to move. Every movement was painful, no matter how careful and slow he was. He whimpered when he grabbed the wall, slowly pulling himself up. Black dots danced before his eyes but he chose to ignore them, slowly making his way towards the estate. To get there meant passing the sports field, but he guessed it had already started, so it was likely that no one would notice him. He was wrong.

‘There you are!’

Louis froze when he heard the voice that was thick with an Irish accent even though the person tried to sound posh. The blonde Candidian strolled towards him, his hands in his shorts’ pockets.

‘Master Styles was looking for you. We thought you had ditched or overslept.’

Louis shook his head and tried to come up with an excuse. Niall was still a distance away, not able to see the bruises, so he would have to think of something fast to make him turn around again and leave.

‘I don’t feel great, I was going to head to the infirmary,’ he said. It wasn’t a complete lie; he did have a massive headache after the beating and the crying – not to mention the pain in his abdomen.

Niall noticed that something was up and squinted, taking a closer look at the boy’s face.

‘Have you been crying?’

‘Yeah, my headache’s really bad,’ Louis muttered, avoiding any kind of eye contact.

The situation was getting worse by the second.

‘Ah well, come on, I’ll take you there,’ Niall offered and grabbed Louis arm, pulling him towards the school. His quick steps caused Louis to cry out in pain, which led to Niall letting go of him immediately.

‘What-’

Louis wrapped his arms around his stomach again, desperately trying to ignore the excruciating pain that shot through him.

Niall was beginning to get worried as he saw the boy fighting to stay conscious. It was then that he noticed the small bruises covering Louis’ arms. There was only one option left for him.

‘Stay here, I’ll get Master Styles,’ he announced curtly, turning on his heel.

‘Don’t!’ Louis gasped. There was no way he would let Harry see him like this. ‘I don’t want him to worry!’

‘Too late for that. I am not going to keep another secret from him,’ Niall retorted, but his eyes suddenly grew wide with realisation. ‘You were beaten, weren’t you? Was it that Rick guy?’

Louis shook his head and Niall cursed under his breath nonetheless.

‘I should have told him. This could have been avoided!’ He hissed and, without waiting for Louis to make another comment, he dashed off towards the stands, probably to get Harry.

Louis groaned as another jab in his abdomen occurred and he was barely able to stand upright.

‘Louis!’

His usual calm voice was scarred with worry and emotional pain, but strangely enough it made Louis relax. His whole body slacked and he felt himself dropping to the floor, only to be caught by two strong arms.

‘What happened?!’

Louis sighed in content, leaning towards his saviour and muttering, ‘Harry.’

‘I’m here, I’m here,’ Harry whispered soothingly, running his hand down Louis’ face, inspecting the pale skin that was wet with the tears that had been shed.

The gentle touch calmed Louis even more as he snuggled closer to Harry, the only person who seemed to genuinely care for him. It reminded him strongly of home.

‘What happened?’ The question was directed at Niall this time, who was standing close by.

‘I don’t know. He was like this when I found him. Said he was beaten by someone.’

Louis cursed Niall in his head as he felt Harry tense, his strong arms holding him even closer than before.

‘Is this true?’ Harry asked almost brokenly.

Louis nodded, grabbing Harry’s uniform and hiding his face in shame. He felt Harry rise and carry him somewhere, but he was too tired to open his eyes and check his whereabouts. Eventually, something soft hit his back and when the protecting arms retracted along with the feeling of safety, he opened his eyes, grabbing them again.

‘Please, don’t leave me,’ he begged, staring at those sad green eyes.

‘I won’t,’ Harry promised, sitting down next to him on the mattress.

Louis sniffled slightly and forced his eyes to stay open. The Candidian slowly raised his hand and stroked the boy’s cheek gingerly as if he were made of thin glass.

‘I should have been there,’ Harry said with a voice filled with remorse. ‘I failed to protect you.’

‘No,’ Louis stated. ‘You have more important things to worry about.’

Harry merely shook his head, pulling his hand back and frowning, lost in thought.

‘Will you let me see the damage before the nurse comes?’ He asked quietly, setting his gaze back on the beaten boy in front of him.

Louis hesitated, unsure whether he wanted Harry to see how pathetic he had been.

‘Don’t think so much,’ Harry murmured, clearly frustrated with the lack of response.

‘But-’

‘Please, Lou,’ he whispered with a pleading look in his emerald eyes.

Louis gave in, moving his hands away from his jersey and receiving a thankful look. The older grabbed the hem of his jersey with caution, slowly bringing it up and flinching as if someone had inflicted pain on him. His eyes grew wider as he continued to pull the shirt up, revealing the dark bruises on Louis’ abdomen and chest.

‘Who did this?’ He hissed venomously.

Louis shook his head, frightened that if he told Harry, Oliver would come for him again.

‘Louis, tell me,’ Harry ordered authoritatively, barely containing his anger.

‘Please don’t make me,’ Louis begged. ‘They’ll be mad.’

Harry’s demeanour changed in a flash – his furious expression was replaced with one full of emotional pain instead. He pulled Louis towards him, burying his face in the boy’s hair.

‘No, Lou,’ he rasped. ‘I won’t let them near you again. No one will hurt you.’

Harry continued with his promises that made Louis’ heart warm as he listened to them, his face tucked into Harry’s chest. He shuddered a bit when Harry shifted slightly.

‘Please tell me, Lou. I can’t stand this any longer. I need to know who did this to you,’ he begged quietly, afraid that Louis would refuse to tell him. The boy was more broken than he had thought at first.

Louis knew that being with Harry was safe. He had proven himself trustworthy multiple times, so it was time Louis let go of his insecurities towards the man that protected him in every way possible. It healed him to know that the Candidian leader was there for him.

‘Oliver. It was Oliver.’

Harry had gone awfully quiet and he was glad that Louis couldn’t see him right now, since the boy’s face was buried in his shirt. The Candidian’s eyes had darkened a considerable amount, flashing red as he tried to stay calm.

How _dare_ that idiot touch this boy like that? Beating him and leaving painful marks all over his body? He would kill him, torture him, let him suffer the way Louis had, just a thousand times worse.

‘Niall,’ he called coldly, sensing that Louis was about to fall asleep.

The blonde entered the small room immediately, nervous about Harry’s threatening tone.

‘Find me that Oliver kid. Bring him to my room,’ the leader hissed, covering Louis’ ears with his arm in an unsuspicious way. ‘ _Now_.’

Niall nodded and left them again, heading towards the sports field. Harry looked down at Louis, his shoulders relaxing and his eyes returning to their bright emerald colour. Louis’ soft breaths were coming out in small puffs –  he was obviously asleep.

‘My darling boy,’ Harry murmured, carefully putting him back down. ‘Forgive me for letting this happen to you. You do not deserve this kind of pain.’

He pushed the boy’s fringe back and let his fingers ghost over his pale cheeks.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered and got up, leaving the boy to sleep peacefully.

*

‘Let me go!’

Niall rolled his eyes as he dragged a panicking Oliver towards the West Wing.

‘I thought you always wanted to come into this part of the school,’ Niall laughed humourlessly. ‘You have received your golden ticket at last.’

‘But why now?’ Oliver said, looking around the corridors in interest, although they looked just like the ones in the East Wing.

‘Well, Master Styles himself wanted to have a _little chat_ with you, actually,’ Niall explained vaguely. He despised the boy that made his master unhappy and angry.

They arrived on the highest floor that only had one huge oak door.

‘There we go, welcome to the place you’ve always wanted to be in,’ the Candidian said cheerfully, though his eyes were full of pent up anger.

He opened the door and pushed the other student roughly inside, since the Caerulian was too stunned to move.

‘Don’t get any wrong ideas. I will be standing right in front of this door. Don’t touch anything.’

Oliver nodded with a foolish smile. He had finally made it. All it had taken was getting that wimp out of the way who had snatched his chance. The Candidians had finally seen what a great bloke he was, but he forgave them for realising it this late. Everyone made mistakes after all.

He looked around the room, but it was pitch black. The curtains were drawn and not a single ray of sunlight seeped through them. He took a step forward and waited patiently for his eyes to adjust. He was desperate to find out how this creature of royalty lived up here, all on his own.

The door slammed open and light flooded in, but most of it was blocked by the tall figure that stood in the doorway, towering over Oliver.

‘Mr Clarke,’ a deceivingly soft voice said. ‘I’m glad you were able to make it.’

‘Oliver’s fine, no need for formalities,’ Oliver said as Harry closed the door and switched the light on. It was obvious that he was seeking the same offer from Harry. He would be one of the only people to call him by his first name. ‘And I wouldn’t miss this for anything.’

‘I’m sure you wouldn’t. Why don’t you sit down?’

Oliver turned around and gasped. The room was huge and it led to several other rooms that were hidden behind heavy doors. Harry pointed to a small coffee table and a few armchairs around it, which were all set in front of an empty fireplace.

‘This is a magnificent dormitory,’ Oliver gushed, missing the look of pure hatred that was sent his way. Little did he know that Harry was on the brink of losing his self control, wanting to strike and kill the boy that had inflicted pain to the one person he cared deeply for.

‘Sit,’ he ordered, fed up with Oliver’s stares in his apartment-like dormitory.

Oliver complied, not wanting to disappoint Harry in any way, which he already had.

‘You have no idea how honoured I am-’ he began to ramble, but Harry silenced him with a raise of his hand.

‘I do not want to hear your flattery, nor start a senseless conversation,’ Harry stated coolly, earning Oliver’s full attention. ‘The reason you’re here is to tell you what will happen in the next two hours. You will be brought to the headmaster’s office and be sent to pack your bags and leave. You have been expelled.’

‘What?!’ Oliver yelled, blanching.

Niall burst through the door and made his way towards Oliver. The yells had carried through the door, alerting the blonde Candidian instantly.

‘I told you not to get any wrong ideas!’ He hissed angrily, pinning the pale boy to the chair.

Harry did nothing to stop his actions.

‘Why?’ Oliver snarled, livid that he was being held down and no one was raising a finger to stop it.

‘Surely you can answer that question yourself? A despicable creature like you is probably proud of his achievements.’

That’s when it hit Oliver.

‘That bastard!’ He shouted. ‘Too weak to fend for himself so he runs to the leader like a small kid!’

Niall was pushed aside and a tight grip closed around Oliver’s throat, making it hard for the Caerulian to breathe properly.

‘Don’t _ever_ speak about him like that again,’ Harry snarled, his eyes darkening.

Oliver gulped as his basic instincts started to kick in, warning him to be careful and to run as soon as he got the chance.

‘Sir-’

‘No, Niall. I have waited for this opportunity for an hour and a half. If Louis hadn’t been in such a state I would have ripped his head off the second I had found him,’ he growled, tightening his grip around the boy’s throat more. ‘Tell me, what drove you to hurting him like that? What made you turn into a monster that harmed an innocent being like him. Tell me!’

Harry had never lost his temper like this. It was scaring Niall to no end.

Oliver looked as if he would pass out anytime soon, but the leader didn’t care. In his eyes, that worthless monster could die and it would make the world a better place.

‘Sir, you’re killing him. Redford will deal with him,’ Niall tried to reason. ‘Don’t let him get to you like this. You can’t let Louis wake up and find out you killed him.’

At the sound of Louis’ name Harry’s anger vanished and he let go, ignoring the coughing student.

‘Bring him to Redford. I do not want him anywhere near Lou or me,’ he ordered and swiftly left the room, heading downstairs.

‘Master Styles!’

He glanced down the stairs and spotted Christina on the floor below him, staring up at him expectantly.

‘Yes?’ He asked monotonously.

‘He woke up. They brought him back to his room,’ she replied. ‘Thought I would let you know.’

He nodded dismissively, but forced himself to not go to Louis’ dormitory. There was no way he would visit him minutes after being in _that_ state. Instead, he walked towards the Entrance Hall, where a group of Caerulians was standing, everyone chatting happily.

A few of the girls spotted him and blushed shyly with stupid smiles plastered on their faces. He ignored them, walking past the group of idiots.

‘Hello, Mister Styles,’ they called simultaneously.

He gave them a quick nod, but they stopped him again.

Where had this sudden confidence come from?

‘Why weren’t you at the sports day?’ One of the girls asked in her high pitch voice. Harry had to try hard not to flinch.

‘I had business to attend to,’ he replied curtly, trying to evade them, but they stepped in the way again.

‘Is it true that a Caerulian was sat at your table yesterday?’

‘Is this some kind of interview for _The Weekly Caedian_ , or what?’ He grumbled.

They laughed their fake laughs and he decided he had had enough of this silly conversation, striding away before they could stop him again.

The only Caerulian that he had on his mind was Louis, and that wouldn’t change.


	8. The Despicable Behaviour of Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep saying this, but I am so sorry that it took so long...  
> I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a good start to the new year! xx

Louis had woken up alone in the infirmary and had been sent back to his room after the nurse had applied some reeking ointments and given him a nice dose of painkillers before sending him to his room for the rest of the day.   
His heart sank as he thought of Harry, who had cradled him to sleep, but was nowhere to be seen at present.   
Where had he gone?  
He moved slightly in his bed and was surprised at the small ache, nothing like it had been before.   
The door to his room opened and a girl with curly black hair entered, smiling.  
‘Hullo, Louis,’ Christina said cheerily, almost plonking herself next to him on the bed. ‘Glad to see you’re conscious again!’  
‘Um...’ He had no idea what to say to that, so he opted for a question instead. ‘Why are you here?’  
‘Well, I told Master Styles you were awake, but he had just come back from his little chat to Oliver or whatever that git’s name is-’  
‘Harry spoke to Oliver?!’ Louis gasped in shock.  
How much time had passed?  
‘Yeah, the brat was expelled,’ she said, shrugging and acting as if it was not a big deal. ‘He did hurt you, after all. Not the cleverest move, and he has tried several things.’  
‘But- but suspension would have been far more reasonable-’  
‘In other circumstances perhaps. Not when it involves you. Niall said he has never seen Harry as mad as he was today. Mind you, I’m glad I only had to deliver the good news about your return to the living.’  
‘I wish he wouldn’t care so much...’ Louis sighed sadly.   
It was only partly true, of course. But that would stay his secret for now.  
‘Too late for that, kiddo. Enjoy it. Some would literally kill to be in your position, especially these annoying and childish girls in your year. But I don’t know why I’m telling you this, you know best what they’re capable of doing.’  
‘Don’t remind me,’ he groaned and she laughed while she passed him a glass of water.  
‘That bad already? He hasn’t even kissed you yet. Or has he?’  
Louis choked on the cool water and she patted his back, trying to contain her giggles.  
‘Well?’ She smirked, raising an eyebrow as Louis’ breathing returned to normal.  
‘No,’ he muttered, his cheeks becoming a furious red.  
‘Well, looks like you’re healthy after all the things that happened today. I bet he’ll be here soon, so I’d better get going.’  
‘Thank you for visiting, Christina,’ he said sincerely as she headed for the door.  
‘Sure, Lou. Harry can’t be the only Candidian you hang out with. And don’t worry about Niall, he’ll get over his silly overly protective nature and you’ll like him. I’m certain.’  
The door closed and he was once again left alone to confront his scattered thoughts.  
So Oliver had been expelled. A part of him was glad that he didn’t have to worry about that jealous psycho anymore, but the other part of him felt guilty. Jealousy was a terrible, but common human trait – a desire to have something another had. He had stolen Oliver’s chances of a brilliant education with the elites, there was no way around that fact. All because he had been weak and in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had given in to Harry’s pleas to give him the name of the person responsible without a fight.  
A light knock on the door interrupted his whirlwind of thoughts and he sat up.  
‘Yes?’ he called out, his voice cracking slightly at the end.  
The door opened and Harry stepped in, smiling when he saw Louis.  
‘I was hoping you had fallen asleep again,’ the older one admitted, shutting the door quietly.  
‘Couldn’t sleep. My brain’s a mess,’ Louis chuckled lightly, leaning against the headboard.  
Harry slowly edged his way closer, his dark green eyes scanning Louis’ face for any sign of discomfort.  
‘Do you need anything?’  
Louis shook his head and hesitated before asking, ‘Why was Oliver expelled?’  
Harry looked at him as if he had gone mental.   
‘Is that a serious question?’  
‘Yes. Suspension would have been a more appropriate punishment.’  
The Candidian furrowed his eyebrows.  
‘You’re letting your subconscious get to you,’ he stated almost sadly. ‘Lou, I spoke to Redford and he agreed. Oliver is a danger, and unfortunately you were the one to witness it firsthand. He inflicted a large amount of damage. I couldn’t let it happen again.’  
‘He was just jealous,’ Louis muttered, but Harry heard him clearly.  
The man strode towards him and placed a hand on Louis’ cheek.  
‘You only see the good things in people, turning the bad things to something more acceptable,’ he whispered without a trace of an accusing tone. Instead, his eyes were filled with something close to amazement. ‘Jealousy is the worst thing that can happen to a human. Yet, you live without it.’  
‘No,’ Louis disagreed. ‘I live with it daily. People here have a life outside these walls. Nearly every student has a family, friends that love them. They have a second home, a place they can go anytime. I have none of those things and it saddens me – angers me. I deal with my jealousy daily, because I have been deprived of all those things that make a life worth living.’  
‘You have me,’ Harry said and Louis stared at him in shock. He was being dead serious.  
Had he really just said that?  
‘But- but-’ Louis stammered. ‘I am unworthy of ever being associated with you.’  
‘Unworthy?’ Harry repeated. ‘Nothing about you is unworthy, Lou. When will you finally see yourself the way I do?’  
‘I gave everything I had away,’ Louis said, hiding his face in his hands. ‘I should have saved my family, but I listened to them and ran. I am a traitor and a coward. There is nothing worthy about a coward.’  
‘You certainly are none of those things.’  
He felt strong arms wrap around him that lifted him onto Harry’s lap. Gentle strokes on his hair soothed him as he leaned against the leader’s broad chest.  
‘I miss them,’ he confessed after several silent minutes.   
‘I know,’ Harry murmured. ‘I see it in your eyes every time I look into them. But you are so strong, Louis – you have no idea.’  
This time Louis decided to not reply to that. He felt safe once again in this person’s presence – a person he had known for less than a week.  
‘Christina came by earlier on.’  
‘Oh?’  
Harry was mildly interested, more focused on the beautiful boy on his lap, who was about to nod off again.   
‘She was the one that told me about Oliver’s expulsion. She also said that Niall was overprotective.’  
Harry chuckled at that.  
‘Yes, but he’s a good man. One of the most loyal, too.’  
‘I can imagine.’  
More silent minutes of them just enjoying each other’s company and comfort passed. Harry soon realised that Louis had drifted off, so he tucked him in, rather unwillingly. He took one last look at the boy and let his thumb trace his right cheekbone.  
‘Goodnight, beautiful.’  
*  
‘I warned you about the students’ jealousy,’ Redford sighed.   
‘Oliver was a psychopath,’ Harry growled, pacing up and down the room. ‘We established that a few hours ago.’  
‘Jealousy doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a psychopath. He was confused, as are many, by your fascination for a plain village boy.’  
‘He’s not plain,’ Harry snapped. ‘Don’t compare him with the scum of the villages in this area.’  
Redford was not in the mood to fight, so he tried a different approach.  
‘I gather you have spoken to him more about his past. He seems to trust you.’  
‘It’s a slow procedure, but I think I’m getting somewhere. He told me he misses his family.’  
‘Well, that’s no surprise. Did you tell him about their current status?’  
‘He knows. He feels as if he betrayed them, which has clearly damaged his self-confidence. But there were no details of the night it happened. I would never push him too far. The time will come, or it won’t.’  
Redford nodded in agreement.  
‘I hear that his former friend has changed sides quickly.’  
‘Former friend?’ Harry repeated, frowning.  
‘Carla tells me that Calvin Rodgers has ended his friendship with the ‘Candidian puppy’, as they call him. I wasn’t lying when I said that his popularity was not thriving.’  
Carla was one of the many presumptuous girls that tried to gain Harry’s attention, but he knew better than to tell the headmaster this.   
‘He disappoints me. Pity really, he has lost a great friendship,’ Harry shrugged in an almost unimpressed manner.  
He had enough of Calvin and his weird habits of switching sides. Indecisive people were the last thing Louis needed in his fragile life.  
‘Are you planning on staying in contact with Louis?’ Redford asked suspiciously. ‘It would be better for him if you didn’t, he needs to make some Caerulian friends.’  
‘I thought your aim is to bond the two – your vision of a perfect life; Caerulians and Candidians live side by side. I am offering you that connection and now you warn me against it. I thought you were convinced with that idea.’  
‘Side by side is not the same as living with each other.’  
‘So I take it that you are homophobic?’  
‘I do not have something against two men loving each other, if you mean that,’ Redford sighed exasperatedly. ‘I was merely referring to a love life of a Candidian and a Caerulian.’  
‘I don’t care about some stupid rules. No one would dare to defy me if I changed them.’  
‘So you do have a romantic interest in the boy?’  
Harry regarded him with little interest at that.  
‘What if I have? I see no reason to not be intrigued by him.’  
Redford was about to respond when Harry walked to the door, opening it silently.  
‘I believe it’s become quite late. Goodnight, Professor.’  
And with the slam of the door, the conversation was ended.  
*  
Once again, Louis went to the Dining Hall alone the next morning. It had returned back to its normal state with the groups of students sitting at their usual tables. He walked up to the buffet and noticed Christina walking up to him, a large smile on her face.  
‘Good morning, Louis!’ She called cheerily as she joined him in the queue.   
‘Morning, Christina,’ he smiled, ignoring the angry looks from all the bystanders.  
There was no point in ignoring her, the whole school had probably heard her loud greeting.  
‘I thought I’d join you this morning for breakfast,’ she announced and her tone made it clear that she was not to be argued with.  
‘Thank you,’ Louis muttered, blushing. He knew that other boys would kill to have a chance to spend the morning with the Candidian. He had heard them rave about her in the corridors. How ironic that he was the one who had more interest in boys than girls.   
He grabbed his food and turned to her with a questioning look on his face.  
‘Don’t you want anything?’ He asked as he stared at her empty hands.  
‘Nah, not very hungry,’ she shrugged nonchalantly. ‘And I’d rather hang around here than in the crowded corridors.’  
Louis nodded and led them to the corner table that Calvin and he had shared once. He shook his head at that thought. He should stop thinking like that.  
They sat in silence for a while, Christina letting him eat in peace without some unnecessary small talk, glancing around instead.  
‘God, he is so obvious,’ she suddenly groaned.  
‘Who?’ Louis asked, confused by her irritated voice.  
‘Your very obvious admirer. Do me a favour and look at him before his stare burns holes into your uniform.’  
He looked up, curious to see what she meant, and locked gazes with the green eyed person across the room.  
‘Oh,’ he uttered, smiling slightly.  
Harry smirked and gave him a barely noticeable wave, which Louis returned immediately before setting his attention back on his plate again. His cheeks had a tint of pink now as he quickly grabbed the fork and practically stabbed the omelette with it.  
‘You two really have it bad,’ Christina chuckled, having watched the whole scene. ‘Should have joined him after all.’  
‘What do you mean?’  
‘I told him I’d keep you company today. We have guests. They’re at the High Table right now, but he seems to have other things on his mind,’ she explained with a sarcastic undertone. ‘He wanted you there, but I told him you wouldn’t like it.’  
At least someone knew how he felt. He shot her a grateful smile to let her know how he felt.  
‘Mind you, he wasn’t too pleased. I guess we should thank God for giving him a rational brain that allowed him to agree with me,’ she added with a roll of her eyes. ‘On the other hand, he hasn’t been rational for a while now with his... infatuation.’  
Louis chose to ignore the last part. There was no way Harry and him were like that. Harry probably wasn’t even gay – not that it would have changed the fact that Louis had nothing to offer a person like him.   
The two of them left the Dining Hall and received several puzzled, yet jealous looks, but neither was impressed. In fact, Louis was certain that Christina hadn’t even noticed them.  
‘Christina! Hurry up, we’ll be late!’ An Irish accent called, causing them both to turn around.  
‘Well, hello there, Niall,’ Christina greeted in her usual carefree way.   
Niall caught up and gave Louis a surprised look.  
‘Tomlinson,’ he said, regaining his professional manner in a matter of seconds.  
‘Good morning, Niall,’ Louis replied, daring to give the blonde a small smile, which, surprisingly, the other returned. He gave Christina an urging look which made her sigh and turn to Louis.  
‘Listen, I have to go. Apparently I have other duties this morning. See you around, Lou!’ She called and waved as she and Niall departed.  
He felt lonely again in the empty corridor, but was surprised when a hand touched his arm. The boy spun around and his eyes widened.  
‘Harry,’ he gasped, stunned to see the Candidian stand before him.  
Harry smiled and let his hand linger a bit before letting it fall to his side.  
‘Hello, Louis,’ he said quietly.   
His green eyes scanned Louis’ face and he was relieved to see that Louis looked far better and not as worn out as he had the day before.  
‘What are you doing here? Don’t you have guests?’ Louis said quickly, glancing around them.  
The corridor was deserted.  
‘No need to worry, they are having a meeting with Professor Redford,’ Harry explained with a warm smile. ‘You are early today. All the others are still in the Dining room.’  
Louis was surprised at that.  
‘I left with Christina,’ he said uncertainly and Harry narrowed his eyes.  
‘I sent Niall to fetch her since she refused to follow her duties,’ Harry muttered, deep in thought.  
Louis’ heart sank.  
Had she only spent the morning with him because she didn’t want to do some tasks?  
Harry caught his hurt expression and frowned.  
‘It was not because of you, Louis. She was sincere when she told me that she wanted to spend the morning with you.’  
Louis merely nodded, fascinated by the way that Harry seemed to be able to tell what he was thinking.  
‘Will you be alright for the rest of the day?’ Harry asked with a slight trace of worry in his voice. He hated leaving Louis alone. ‘I can excuse you so you don’t have to attend classes.’  
‘No it’s fine,’ Louis assured the leader. ‘I have to keep up. They have high expectations here and I don’t want to disappoint yo- them.’  
He blushed at the slip up and looked to the floor. A finger carefully touched his warm cheek.  
‘You could never disappoint anyone, Lou,’ Harry whispered. ‘I’ll have to go now. I will be gone until tomorrow evening. If you need anything, find Niall and send him to me. Do not come looking for me. Promise me, Louis.’  
Even though he was confused about Harry’s adamant warning, he nodded.  
‘I promise.’  
Harry stroked his cheek and strode off, disappearing around the corner at the end of the corridor. Louis raised his fingers to where Harry had touched him for the last time today. Those guests were obviously very important if they would require that amount of attention.  
Stop, his subconscious warned him, trying to prevent him from being jealous.  
‘Look who’s here. Where’s the girlfriend?’  
Louis looked at the spiteful person and his eyes widened. There stood Dylan, flanked by Calvin and Rick.  
‘Did she already ditch you?’ Dylan continued mocking him.  
‘She’s not my girlfriend,’ Louis stated and out of the corner of his eye he could see Calvin fidget awkwardly. ‘She had business to attend to.’  
‘Oh, I see. Sorry about that, just couldn’t understand what she saw in you.’  
Louis straightened up and pushed pass them, ignoring their loud laughter.  
You can do this, he said to himself as he clenched his jaw. You can’t always depend on Harry.  
Christina’s friendly offer to keep him company had turned into something he wished had never happened. When he had first spoken to Harry, he had received hateful glares from all the girls, but now that he had been spotted with the female Candidian, he received the double amount of glares since the boys were furious and jealous too.  
He sat in the much resented front row in every class so that his back was towards all his classmates. Calvin had decided to sit next to Dylan now, but Louis couldn’t care less. He had had multiple chances to stand up for Louis and the new boy would have been glad to have given his prior friend a second chance, but it obviously wasn’t meant to be. He had been lying to himself when he said that he didn’t want to grab him for himself. His loneliness had made sure to make him feel that way.  
He had noticed Niall following him in the breaks with an unsuspicious distance between them, which Louis was very thankful for. He really had enough of all the hatred he was witnessing already. But it also meant that Niall was able to see the way his fellow Caerulians treated the new boy and Louis had the feeling that he would tell Harry, to whom he had vowed his utmost loyalty.   
Dylan and his gang had turned taunting Louis into a hobby that led to all Caerulians joining in. Louis was still not sure what their ultimate goal was though.   
Did they want to get rid of him? Make him leave?  
Or did they want to catch the attention of the Candidians when they played with their ‘pet’?  
Pet was the newest nickname they had given him, although some insisted on taking it a step further by calling him ‘the puppy’ or even ‘fame-sucking leech’.  
He didn’t mind it too much, since he knew that those things weren’t true. He was just worried that Candidians would hear and feel offended that someone like him could drag their name through the dirt.  
He skipped lunch and decided to spend his time by the pond again, skimming small stones as he waited for the bell to ring.  
‘I must confess that I misjudged you,’ someone said suddenly, causing Louis to jump.  
‘Niall,’ he sighed, clutching his chest above his thudding heart.  
‘I expected that you would come running to me after the first five minutes of your lessons.’  
‘You heard then,’ Louis muttered sadly.  
‘Yes, they are extremely nasty. No wonder we have no interest in any of them,’ Niall huffed. ‘You’re tough, kid. Not everyone would be able to stay calm during that.’  
‘My family used to get a lot of negative attention. I don’t know why, but my mother always told us to keep our heads high.’  
‘Then she taught you well,’ Niall smiled, which was rare and nice.   
‘I am sorry for dragging the Candidians into this mess. I hope you’re not offended.’  
Niall laughed.  
‘Believe me, even if we were offended we would not react to that desperate attempt of gaining our attention. On the other hand, we do have difficulties containing ourselves when it comes to them picking on you.’  
‘I know Harry-’  
‘No,’ Niall interrupted. ‘This is not only about Master Styles. We despise the nature of the Caerulians. They do not have respect or decency. We pity the innocent, Louis, who experience their dreadful ways. You are a misfit, wrongly placed in a pack of vicious wolves who want you gone. Master Styles regrets every day since it was decided that you would be a Caerulian. I was there when he had a fight with the headmaster, trying to convince him to make an exception with you.’  
‘He wanted me to become a Candidian?’ Louis asked in astonishment. Harry had never mentioned it before.  
‘Yes, but the rules must be kept. They won’t be changed in the near future and I hope you will survive a little while longer. Christmas holidays are coming and I guess you will stay here. Most of the students will leave, so you will be able to enjoy some peace and quiet.’  
Louis nodded in agreement.  
‘Thank you, Niall, for telling me all this.’  
‘I wish I could change the unfairness, Louis. Master Styles is looking into it though, so don’t bother yourself too much with all of it. Just concentrate on your lessons until everything is settled.’  
And with that Niall turned on his heel and headed towards the building again, leaving Louis to ponder before running to his next class.  



	9. His Greatest Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really trying to update as much as possible, so please don't think that I have forgotten this story!  
> Enjoy! x

Tuesday had turned out to be as bad as Monday, if not worse. Christina was nowhere to be seen and Niall had kept his usual distance during the breaks. Louis longed to see Harry again, which he found shocking at first. The man obviously meant more to him than he had previously thought.

The subject he had dreaded most was PE, which was probably the most torturous lesson that day. Their warm up game had turned out to be a ball game where the students had to throw soft balls at each other. Whoever was hit had to leave and watch the game until the last person standing won the game. In every round Louis was the first target of every single person holding a ball, which is why he didn’t even have a slim chance of surviving long term.

The ‘cool’ PE teacher was more interested in his notes than anything else, completely ignoring what was going on around him until the lesson finally ended after the uncountable number of rounds they had played.

Louis stalled his time in the bathroom until he was certain that everyone had left the changing room, where he quickly changed and dashed out, a feeling of freedom settling inside him once he breathed in the fresh air. The school day was finally over, which not only meant that he could avoid further torture, but also that Harry was soon to return.

Dinner was spent alone and he noticed the empty High Table. Ever since Harry had left it had been deserted. Niall was sitting with another small group of Candidians, laughing at random jokes and enjoying his companions.

‘Hey, Louis.’

Louis tore his gaze away from the Irish fellow and looked up with an emotionless expression.

‘What do you want?’

His voice was cold and distant, as he had intended it to be. Calvin shifted and forced himself to look at anything but Louis.

‘Would you... would you mind not telling Harry about everything that’s been going on?’

Louis was aware of Niall’s now penetrating stare on him, clearly trying to evaluate the situation at hand.

‘Why would I do that?’

‘I- I don’t want to be expelled like Oliver was.’

‘So, that’s it? Do you regret _anything_? I can’t believe I wasted my time with you. And let me tell you that if I don’t tell Harry, a Candidian will and I will not stop him from doing what he feels is right. I don’t owe you anything, Calvin. Quit trying to make me feel like I do – it’s not working.’

Calvin bit his lip as Louis rose to his feet and grabbed his tray, leaving a dumbfounded traitor in the corner of the Dining Hall. On his way out, Louis noticed that Dylan and the others weren’t there yet.

Calvin wouldn’t have come to beg him like that if they had been there, no doubt.

Louis felt a headache approaching and decided to retire and catch some of the sleep that he had missed the previous night due to his returning nightmares.

Niall’s assuring words kept repeating themselves in his mind.

Winter holidays were approaching, and so was his freedom from this pack of spiteful people.

*

Louis gasped as he sat up in bed, his cry echoing in the room. Just like the nights before, he was drenched in sweat and shivering.

‘Just a dream. Just a dream,’ he muttered repeatedly, forcing the nightmare to the back of his mind. The red eyed glare remained though and his breathing came in short gasps. The fear was beginning to suffocate him.

He got out of bed and grabbed his navy blue cloak, wrapping it around his shoulders. There was no way he was going to stay a moment longer in this room with his memories as his only company. He carefully opened the old door and slipped out, checking the corridor for any movement. As soon as he felt safe enough to move, he tiptoed down towards the little door at the end that led to the small staircase to the gardens. Thankfully, no one crossed his path and he eventually reached the little pond. The frogs had disappeared, but the fish still swam around tirelessly and he silently wondered if they ever rested. Perhaps they were too afraid to sleep, like he was – afraid that a danger might snatch them away.

He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them. He didn’t want to think about the trouble he’d be in if someone were to discover him out here after bedtime. He was unaware of the person lurking in the shadows, watching his every move. After several minutes he heard leaves rustling and straightened up, straining his ears and eyes.

‘Hello?’ He whispered and nearly yelled when he saw a shadow approaching him slowly.

‘Well,’ an unknown voice said, ‘what do we have here?’

‘Who are you?’ He asked with a shaky voice, making the other person chuckle.

‘You can call me Dave. I must say, you are quite a sight, eh?’

Louis was unable to move and only flinched slightly when he felt a cold hand touch his cheek. Long fingernails scratched his skin and he felt some blood trickling down. Yet, he seemed to be paralysed, staring into the amber coloured eyes of Dave. He noticed the white uniform he was wearing with the blue lines at the seams.

_A Candidian?_

Dave brought his bloodied fingers to his mouth, licking it and uttering a satisfied sound.

‘My, you do taste good,’ he hummed as he closed his eyes blissfully.

If Louis hadn’t been in the state he was now, he would have run after hearing something as vile as that.

When Dave opened his eyes, they were red. Red like the eyes in his dreams.

_‘LOUIS! RUN!’_

His mother’s screeches echoed in his brain and he took off, dashing back to the door as his mind started working overtime with the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

He had no idea where to go to. The students would be in danger if he hid in one of the dormitories. He had no idea were Harry’s room was, nor was he sure where Redford’s office had been. So, he decided to head back towards his own dormitory, the red eyed creature hot on his heels, cackling at the entertaining hunt. He finally reached his room and ripped the door open before closing and locking it in a rush.

‘Come out, come out, little doe,’ the voice of Dave sang on the other side.

Louis scrambled away from the door, his back eventually hitting the opposite wall. Scratches were heard and the rattling of the doorknob. That’s when Louis realised that Dave’s next move would involve breaking down the door.

‘Help,’ he whimpered, curling into a ball. It all seemed so familiar – the only difference was the close proximity of his pursuer this time. There was no way he’d escape. The door burst open and wild red eyes gleamed victoriously at the small person before him.

‘What a pleasant sight you are.’

‘Harry,’ Louis whispered. ‘Help me, Harry.’

Dave lunged at him, pinning him against the wall and smirking at the fragile boy.

‘You are going to be fantastic,’ he said in his sickening singsong voice.

Suddenly the grip around his neck faltered and Louis saw how Dave hit the wall opposite him and crumpled to the floor. An angry hiss left his mouth as he looked for the source of the interruption. A person in a black travelling cloak stepped in front of Louis, blocking his view.

‘Sir, I-’ It was Dave’s turn to whimper now. ‘I don’t know what came over me. He was sitting there and- and I just lost it-’

‘Get out,’ a cold voice interrupted him.

Louis’ tears started to fall as Dave scampered out as quickly as he could and the room fell silent, Louis’ occasional gasp for air breaking it. He slowly sank to the floor, burying his face in his knees.

‘Oh, Lou,’ the once cold voice said warmly and the cloaked person turned around.

Soft hands touched his upper arms and he started to hiccup as Harry pulled him in for a heartfelt embrace, keeping Louis as close as possible as he kneeled next to him.

‘It’s alright now. He’s gone. He will never threaten you like that again,’ he mumbled caressing Louis’ hair as he slowly lifted the boy up and made his way towards the bed.

‘No!’ Louis said, wiggling desperately as they got closer to it. ‘No, please!’

Harry retreated from the harmless piece of furniture at once, worried about the boy’s fear that was evident in his wide blue eyes.

‘What is it?’ He asked with concern, wiping away Louis’ fresh tears with his free hand.

‘The eyes... the eyes,’ Louis whimpered and clutched Harry’s cloak. ‘They’ll come back.’

Louis was unable to think clearly. The only thing on his mind was the blazing red stare of his dreams that had been so similar to Dave’s just now.

‘What eyes?’

‘The red ones. Like Daves’. They wait for me until I go to sleep.’

Harry’s body stiffened at the boy’s words before he forced out his next question.

‘You have seen them before?’

Louis nodded, shuddering at the memory.

‘Where, Lou?’

Harry’s tone contained a slight insistence in it, but Louis was too upset to notice.

‘My house. The night I ran away.’

Harry closed his eyes as new tears flowed down the boy’s cheeks and the leader realised that he had finally completed the puzzle concerning Louis’ past.

‘Lou...’ He murmured in a pained tone. ‘It’s alright. I won’t let them anywhere near you, okay?’

‘I’m scared. I thought I was safe here,’ Louis whimpered and felt Harry caressing his back, trying to calm him down in vain.

‘You are, love,’ Harry promised sincerely. ‘No one will ever hurt you while I’m here.’

‘You weren’t today and yesterday. Everyone hates me, Harry.’

It wasn’t said in an accusatory tone, but in a helpless one.

Harry let out a low growl, causing his chest to rumble under Louis’ face.

‘Niall told me what’s been going on. I will not let you anywhere near them again. You are not a Caerulian, Lou. I should never have allowed it.’

‘I’m nothing,’ Louis cried. ‘Niall said I’m not allowed to be a Candidian and I am obviously a failure of a Caerulian.’

‘No,’ Harry’s urgent voice said, ‘you have it all wrong. You are so much more than them, love. Don’t let them make you feel otherwise.’

‘Make me a Candidian. Let me be with Christina and Niall. Let me be with you,’ Louis begged. ‘I’ll do anything.’

‘I can’t, Louis. I will find a way some day, but I need time. Forgive me, Lou. I will do everything in my power to make you happy again.’

Louis leaned against the leader, resting his head on his shoulder. Harry was still holding him in his arms that didn’t seem to grow tired although he was holding Louis’ entire weight, since the boy was too weak to stand by himself. He felt Harry hesitate before he spoke, ‘Louis, would you like me to take you to my room tonight?’

Louis nodded weakly and sniffled.

‘Please don’t leave me alone.’

‘Never again. It pains me to leave you. It is something I don’t ever want to experience again.’

The boy felt Harry’s body move and closed his eyes as Harry made his way through the large school. He felt safe in the arms of the one person who cared for him.

After several minutes of him feeling as if he were floating, they came to a stop. Louis opened his eyes slightly and saw a large door that a guard opened for them. It reassured Louis that there were people outside watching out, preventing people from entering.

Harry’s room – which actually turned out to be several rooms – were dimly lit by the chandeliers above. A roaring fire had been lit in the fireplace surrounded by comfortable looking armchairs and the large round table in the middle looked as if it had been freshly polished. Several paintings adorned the wallpapered walls, but Louis was too tired to take a closer look at them. He would find the right time to do so eventually.

‘Beautiful,’ he mumbled, but Harry did not pause and entered a large bedroom with a king sized bed.

He carefully placed Louis on the soft mattress and smiled down at him. A warm quilt was pulled over the tired boy and Harry sat down next to him, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers.

‘Sleep, Lou,’ the leader whispered. ‘I will be here when you wake up.’

Louis did not need to be told twice before he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

*

‘What is he doing here?! I heard he was attacked!’

‘Shush! I do not want you to wake him.’

Muffled voices interrupted Louis’ sleep as he stirred. Soft light entered through the rich curtains in the master bedroom. Everything around him smelled of Harry, which he found was extremely comforting. The argument in the neighbouring room continued.

‘You can’t just bring him here, Harry!’ That was definitely Redford arguing with the Candidian leader. His croaky voice could not be mistaken for another.

‘He was terrified, which is no surprise. I wasn’t going to leave him alone.’

‘If he hadn’t left the room, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Bring him back to his own dorm. We do not need more excitement caused by that boy and his contact with the Candidians, which I _warned_ you about.’

Suddenly it grew deadly silent.

‘I would never force him to go back to that pack you call Caerulians.’

Harry’s voice was harsh and scary – the way he spoke to Niall when he was displeased with him.

‘He’s one of them Harry. We agreed on this a week ago. You wanted to keep him here, so I allowed him to as a Caerulian.’

‘Change it. He’s miserable and the others are behaving disgracefully towards him. And do you know why? He isn’t anything like them and I want this to end. Make him a Candidian, or he stays here with me. He will not leave this room as a Caerulian, I can assure you.’

Louis had the nagging feeling that the name was more than just that – a name.

His heartbeat increased as he continued to listen to the conversation. Harry had obviously intended for his statement to be final, but Redford wasn’t having it.

‘We both know that there is no way I will make an exception for some boy that causes you to feel an urge to protect him. There are conditions and he doesn’t fulfil any. Conditions that _we_ agreed on.’

So he seemed to be right with his assumption. The name seemed to be like a status or something that clearly separated Caerulians from Candidians. Niall had mentioned that Caerulians were despicable, not worthy of gaining a Candidian’s attention, after all. And now Redford had mentioned certain _conditions_.

Suddenly, the door opened and Harry was at his side in a flash, stroking his fringe to push it out of the boy’s wide and sleepy eyes.

‘I’m sorry you woke up alone,’ he murmured apologetically, his eyes full of regret.

‘It’s fine,’ Louis smiled and tried to look past Harry.

Redford was watching them with a stern gaze, almost as if he were judging their behaviour. Harry noticed Louis’ stare and growled quietly, turning around to face the headmaster.

‘Louis will not participate in his lessons today. Our conversation will have to take place another time.’

Harry’s words were not to be discussed. This time Redford seemed to realise it too and left with an angry frown etched onto his face.

Louis looked up again and was meet with Harry’s green eyes that were filled with warmth and something else that he couldn’t place, although it reminded him of something he had seen before.

‘Do you want to sleep again?’ Harry asked quietly and Louis shook his head in response.

‘What time is it?’

Harry glanced up at the clock on the wall before answering, ‘Half past eleven.’

Louis shot out of bed, his head spinning due to the blood rushing in his brain from the quick movement. Strong arms wrapped around him and prevented him from falling.

‘And where might you be going?’ Harry’s soft and deep voice sounded next to his ear.

‘I’m late for my lessons,’ Louis explained, slowly feeling better. He had chosen to ignore what Harry had previously said to Redford.

‘You won’t be attending classes today, Lou,’ Harry stated sternly, but instantly returned to his previous calm state. ‘Breakfast has been delivered to my room. You can have it whenever you feel like it.’

‘Thank you,’ Louis mumbled and blushed. Harry was proving himself to be very considerate and he felt the guilt rise in him again. Harry did so much for him and he never seemed to find a way to repay him.

‘Anything for you.’

It was so quiet that Louis wasn’t sure if he had actually heard it correctly. He pushed his thoughts aside and followed Harry out of the room and into the main one. The table was full of everything that was usually available in the Dining Hall.

‘Wow,’ Louis gasped. ‘You don’t expect me to eat all of it, do you?’

Harry chuckled and pulled a chair out for Louis and waited until the boy was seated before taking the chair next to him and sitting down. Louis was starving and he hesitantly grabbed a bun and some jam. As he prepared his food he thought about everything he had heard.

‘Harry?’ He asked uncertainly, still unsure whether to use ‘sir’ or not.

‘Yes, Louis?’

‘What conditions was Redford talking about?’

He dared to look at Harry, who had a frown on his face.

‘You heard?’

Louis nodded slowly. He scolded himself in his mind for his reckless curiosity, since Harry’s demeanour had changed because of it. He shrank in his seat and gulped while avoiding eye contact. He was absolutely sure that Harry would kick him out for his forwardness.

‘You’re thinking again,’ Harry sighed exasperatedly.

‘That’s what a person usually does to survive.’

Louis regretted his words instantly, but, to his surprise, Harry laughed quietly.

‘Yes, that is true. Back to your question, though. I convinced Redford to keep you here, hence the deal. He compromised with me. You get to stay, but as a Caerulian, since you didn’t live up to the Candidian standards at the time.’

‘Why didn’t you want me to go? Do I live up to them now?’

‘One question at a time, Louis. Did you have a place to stay? A future in the outside world?’

Louis froze and eventually shook his head.

‘No,’ he whispered. ‘I never knew any other relatives of mine. I wouldn’t know where to look.’

Harry nodded but did not comment on it. He let Louis eat in peace instead.

‘The answer to my other question?’ Louis said quietly.

‘Eat, Louis.’

God, this was frustrating.

‘Aren’t you attending your lessons?’ Louis asked curiously when he had finished. Surprisingly, he hadn’t had a lot of appetite after all.

‘No, Lou.’

There was his nickname again, which caused a warm feeling to spread in Louis, as it usually did whenever he heard Harry use it.

‘I have a few more pressing matters at hand that have to be dealt with before the day ends.’

‘So you’re leaving?’ Louis breathed, panic rising in him again at the thought of Harry deserting him in this god-awful place.

‘I will be here under one condition. I am asking you to stay in my room, Louis. I do not want you to leave it until I get you, understand?’

Vehemence laced the leader’s voice as he said those words, his eyes burning into Louis’ as the younger boy nodded slowly.

What was going on?

There was an odd knock on the door before it flew open, two people stumbling into the room.

‘Shit!’ An angry voice hissed. ‘I _told_ you to stay still, didn’t I?!’

Louis recognised the owner of the voice – Niall. He took a closer look at the person who had tripped and fallen to the floor, desperately trying to stand again. Wild eyes locked with his and he stilled. The amber coloured irises were hardly visible due to the dilated pupils and Louis stumbled back, his shoulders hitting a broad chest behind him.

Strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him behind the person that had protected him many times before. Louis clutched the back of Harry’s uniform as if it were the only thing that would keep him alive.

‘What is this supposed to be?’

Harry was beyond angry; any idiot could tell.

‘I tried, sir. We were waiting outside and he suddenly lunged at the door, even though you hadn’t given permission for us to enter.’

‘Please, sir! Have mercy on me! I don’t- I didn’t _know_ who he was. I would _never_ have attacked him if I had had any idea what I was letting myself into-’

‘Silence!’ Harry hissed acidly.

Louis tried to control his ragged and short breaths, which were audible to everyone. He didn’t want to give away how scared he was, but there was no way they hadn’t noticed by now.

‘Hold him, Niall, while I escort Louis to my room,’ Harry ordered curtly and grasped Louis’ hand, briskly leading him to his bedroom moments later.

As he motioned for Louis to lie down and slowly retracted his arms, the boy grabbed him in a pathetic attempt to keep him there, chanting, ‘No, no, no! Please, no...’

Harry grimaced and rested a hand on Louis’ right cheek, the boy immediately closing his eyes.

‘Lou...’ He whispered. ‘I am so sorry for putting you through that. I will deal with him. Don’t forget your promise, please. Don’t leave this room under any circumstances until I return. I won’t be long.’

A tear escaped Louis’ eye, but it was immediately wiped away by a large thumb. It pained Harry to see the one he cared for so broken.

‘I will fix you, love,’ the leader swore, feeling a jab in his chest as he slowly raised himself, ‘and no one will ever break you again.’

He swiped his hand slowly over the boy’s forehead, which led to Louis calming down and falling into a deep slumber. Harry took one last glance at Louis before he frowned and charged out of the room.

‘ _You_ ,’ he spat and Niall backed away to passively stand at the wall closest to him as his master grabbed Dave by the front of his shirt.

Dave’s eyes widened and looked anywhere except Harry’s scorching eyes.

‘How _dare_ you attack a student like that!’ Harry shouted and threw him towards an armchair. He slowly strode towards the whimpering mess on the ground that was curling itself into a small heap, growling, ‘To think that you would go behind my back while I was gone. Thought you would get away with it? Or did others suffer what _he_ nearly had to?!’

Dave cowered and shivered, unable to respond.

‘Answer me!’

‘No, sir,’ Dave forced out. ‘He was the only one. His _scent_ , sir. I have never smelled anything like him-’

‘Do you believe that I am oblivious to it? As are the rest?! Of all people, _I_ should know what kind of temptation he is! No one should ever be able to get close enough to lose their mind as you did. The others know how I feel about them getting too close to him.’

Dave felt something grip his hair and pull him up so he was forced to look at the leader above him.

‘The fact that you _touched_ him is enough for me to feel the fury coursing through me. But that can’t be compared to the fact that you _threatened_ and _harmed_ him!’

Again Dave was airborne and crashed into the pile of wood next to the fireplace. He didn’t dare to move, knowing that that would make his punishment even worse than it already was.

This time a hand wrapped around his throat, which caused him to gasp for air.

‘Tell me, _Dave_ ,’ Harry whispered in a spiteful tone, ‘what did you have in mind when you hunted him down? Was it a game to you? Did you enjoy chasing a fragile, lost boy? Or did it thrill you to think of catching the person that is most precious to me? Were you planning on testing me for my weak spots?’

‘Never, sir!’ Dave croaked. ‘I didn’t know it was him.’

‘I swore to Redford that I would keep the Candidians in place,’ Harry said, raising his voice once more. ‘Your behaviour will not be tolerated. As much as I would like to deal with a traitor like you myself, I am bound to the rules of this academy, which sadly includes the riddance of fellow students. I will have my people deal with you after you leave these grounds. They have been informed, so don’t try something stupid like escaping, for instance.’

‘Please, don’t, sir! I promise-’

‘You promised to obey me when you entered this school. The night Louis arrived I ordered everyone to not interact with him in a negative way. It was a Candidian assembly, so surely you were there. Or am I mistaken?’

‘No, sir.’ Dave bowed his head in shame and gulped. Never had he expected Harry’s wrath to be anything like this.

‘Niall, take him away. I’ve had enough of this pathetic traitor’s presence.’

‘Yes, Master Styles.’

Harry ignored the pleading screams until the door finally closed, allowing him to return to Louis’ side once more. The boy hadn’t moved and his chest was rising and falling slowly.

‘What am I going to do?’ Harry murmured as he sat beside him on the mattress. ‘You make me feel weak when I am around you, yet so strong at the same time. It’s as if you have to be constantly protected from the entire world, which I would gladly do, even though I could just as well stay here with you for the rest of my life.’

He sighed as he watched Louis sleep and his green eyes were full of sadness and admiration.

‘You have made me the happiest I have ever been, my little sunshine. And even though your happiness has been covered by fate’s clouds, you light up my dark world.’

Louis mumbled something and reached out with his small hand, which Harry instantly took. His thumb swiped over the little knuckles and he smiled softly.

‘I believe you have snatched my heart, my little one. And one day, when the time is right, I will be able to say three little words that will describe my undeniably strong feelings towards you.’


	10. Unexpected Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Right, it's a fact that I just cannot update on a regular basis :') Hope you haven't given up on me!  
> This chapter is a bit filler-ish, but things will start moving soon again :)  
> Thank you for all the lovely comments so far! ♥  
> Bear with me!  
> Em x

When Louis awoke he was surrounded by darkness. The faint light of the nearly crescent moon did little to make it easier for him to see. He froze when he moved slightly and felt a solid form sitting next to him on the mattress.

‘You’re awake,’ a deep voice stated. Its effect was immediate as it calmed Louis down.

‘I can’t believe I fell asleep again,’ Louis muttered sheepishly.

Harry was glad that Louis was unable to see the guilty expression on his face as he struggled for a simple explanation.

‘You are exhausted, Lou. Your body needs rest,’ he muttered hesitantly, but Louis was too drowsy to notice.

Louis slowly turned around and carefully placed his small hand on Harry’s arm. To his relief, the leader did not flinch or move away.

‘I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough,’ he admitted quietly.

Harry sighed at that and cautiously took the boy’s hand in his own, his thumb softly stroking the back of it.

‘Lou, as I said before, you are not a Caerulian and I _want_ to help wherever I can when it comes to you. I wish you would finally accept the fact that you are worthy of a Candidian’s attention.’

It was silent for a while before Louis spoke up again.

‘I can’t stay here forever, Harry...’ He started slowly, treading carefully without insulting the kind leader. ‘What do I have to do to become one of you? A test of some sorts?’

‘There are two conditions. One, you have to have an audience in front of me so that I can decide whether you are good enough to participate. You have fulfilled that part.’

‘And the second?’

‘The second should not concern you, love. I may reveal it one day, but now is definitely not the time.’

Louis pouted, thinking that Harry was unable to see, but he was mistaken. Harry chuckled and squeezed his hand slightly, his bright eyes full of admiration and fondness.

‘One day, Lou,’ he laughed. ‘Now you should sleep.’

It took Louis a while to clear his mind in order to fall back to sleep while Harry sat motionless at his side, his hand never letting go. Eventually, he did give in and fell into a dreamless sleep.

*

‘Can I go out for a while?’ Louis wondered, glancing at Harry, who was going through the letters he had received that morning.

They had stayed in again, Harry refusing to attend his lessons and leave Louis alone. The boy was still not permitted to return to the Caerulian Wing of the school, and he had started to feel penned in.

Harry glanced up and watched the boy gazing out of the window with longing eyes. The leader sighed, placing the letters on the polished table top. The mess he had made of the living room had been tidied up shortly after the previous escalation, concealing the events from an unknowing Louis.

‘Fine,’ Harry gave in reluctantly, rubbing his temples. ‘But I want you to take Niall with you. Just a precaution, I don’t want anything to happen to you.’

Louis nodded and tried his best to ignore the small jab he had felt when Harry had revealed that he wouldn’t be joining him.

 _Stop_ , he scolded himself. _He has better things to do than spend time with you._

‘Thank you,’ he said with a small smile.

Harry rose and came towards him, his fingers lightly brushing the boy’s fringe.

‘You look lovely when the sun touches your face and hair,’ he murmured. ‘You belong out there, in the light. Don’t ever forget that.’

Louis was unable to move, shocked with the gentle gesture which he believed to be undeserved. In his eyes, he was nothing but a burden.

‘Niall,’ Harry called after a few more seconds and the Irishman entered at once, unfazed by the scene before him. It still caused Louis to blush though.

‘Yes, sir?’

‘I want you to take Louis outside,’ Harry stated, briefly glancing at Niall, who nodded.

‘Come along,’ Niall said quickly to Louis and led him out of the room.

It was strange to walk through the empty corridors in complete silence. The students were all attending their lessons, probably jotting down notes on the most recent topic and enjoying their time with their friends.

‘Don’t you have lessons?’ Louis asked, desperate to start a conversation.

‘Not as long as Master Styles is busy with other things,’ Niall replied with a shrug.

‘Is he a lord or something?’

Niall furrowed his eyebrows.

‘Why do you ask?’

‘The Caerulians say you treat him like royalty. Plus, you all call him ‘sir’ or even ‘master’ at all times.’

‘Nosy little one, eh?’ It was not spiteful, since Niall had a grin on his face. ‘No, he is not a lord, nor royalty. But his bloodline makes him special.’

‘How so?’

‘It is not my place to tell.’

Louis huffed in annoyance as Niall continued to lead him towards the Entrance Hall.

‘Where would you like to go?’ The Candidian inquired as they finally reached the last step.

‘The garden?’ Louis suggested hopefully.

Niall caught the gleam in those cerulean eyes and nodded in agreement, strutting towards a door at the far end of the large Entrance Hall.

They reached Louis’ favourite spot by the pond and the boy lay sprawled on the ground only moments later, breathing in the scent of the earth and grass around him. Niall stood with a small distance between them, staring blankly at the building as he let Louis enjoy his time outside.

‘Don’t you want to sit?’ Louis called, sitting up slightly as he rested on his elbows in order to look at Niall, who hadn’t moved an inch.

‘Nah, I’m fine.’

Louis pouted and Niall suddenly looked to the side, noticing a presence approaching them.

‘Niall! Lou!’ A happy voice called out and Louis grinned.

‘Hey, Christina,’ he greeted the girl as she plonked herself next to him. ‘Long time no see.’

‘Yeah, your lover gave me a few tasks that couldn’t be postponed,’ she explained in a mocking tone.

‘He’s not my lover,’ Louis muttered, hiding his red face in his hands.

‘Yeah, right, whatever you say,’ Christina laughed and turned to Niall instead. ‘Well? Are you going to act like a damn statue all day or is it possible for you to loosen up?’

Niall glared at her, offended by her disrespect.

‘I have a job to do,’ he shot back.

‘As we all do. Believe me, your little bodyguard job can also be done on the ground, next to the little chap.’

Niall clenched his jaw but surprisingly gave in, settling down next to the two others. Louis was mumbling incoherently under his breath, sending a glare at Christina for calling him ‘little chap’.

‘We should play ‘truth or dare’. I heard it’s supposed to be really good,’ Christina announced, her grey eyes glistening with excitement.

‘That lame Caerulian game?’ Niall groaned, shaking his head. ‘There’s no way it’s good.’

‘Okay, let’s start,’ Christina exclaimed, totally ignoring the disgruntled Candidian next to her. ‘Louis, truth or dare?’

Louis had never particularly liked this game. His sisters had forced him to play several times, but it had mostly been dares, since they didn’t have many secrets, which is why he went with ‘truth’ for a change.

‘Have you kissed Master Styles?’

So this is what she was heading for. That girl knew no boundaries.

‘No,’ Louis muttered, lying back down without facing her and listening to Niall scoff. ‘Is this the reason for playing the game? You might as well just interrogate him.’

‘You two are no fun!’ She complained loudly.

‘Christina, this game is ridiculous. Don’t you have a few things to plan? I recall Master Styles telling you to help the others with the schedule for the ball,’ Niall said with a raised eyebrow.

‘What ball?’ Louis asked curiously.

‘Doesn’t surprise me that he didn’t tell you, after what went down with Redford recently,’ Niall sighed. ‘He is dreading it even more than the ones before. There’s an annual ball just before the Christmas holidays. Only Candidians are usually allowed to attend, but Redford has insisted on it being a mixed occasion, so those damn Caerulians will be there too.’

‘What’s it usually like? I have never been to a ball before,’ Louis inquired, his interest piqued.

‘What?!’ Christina gasped. ‘Oh my god, Louis! Balls are fabulous! The dresses, the dances and the music! The Candidian balls are considered the best out there – never fail to please. The atmosphere is fantastic, you’ll love it!’

‘Not when he finds out what they are actually for,’ Niall grumbled unhappily. ‘ _You_ may love them, Christina, but I despise the very thought of them, as does our master. The event is only done to put Master Styles under pressure to find his future... _companion_ , if you get what I’m saying here.’

Louis went pale at that, an angry feeling overtaking him. He pushed it away as quickly as it had come – there was no way he could get jealous. He would never have a chance.

‘Oh,’ he forced out, unable to say more.

Niall glanced at him with a sad look upon his face, obviously pitying the boy. The former Caerulian looked away, staring at the bark of the weeping willow instead.

‘What a sullen sight you are,’ a high-pitched and unfamiliar voice laughed.

A blonde girl approached them, her empty gaze locking instantly with Louis’.

‘Taylor,’ Niall muttered and Christina rolled her eyes.

‘What do _you_ want?’ The black haired girl asked, clearly annoyed.

‘Looking for _you_ , actually.’

Taylor’s sickeningly sweet smile caused Louis to grimace as she continued speaking to Christina.

‘You are ditching your duties. Don’t want Harry finding out now, do we?’

Louis’ eyes widened at the use of Harry’s first name. He shot Niall a questioning look, only to find the Irish man scowling.

‘You need to learn more respect,’ the Irishman hissed angrily, but Taylor laughed it off.

‘Well? Are you going to continue avoiding your tasks, Christina?’

‘I so happen to be doing one right now, for your information. Louis here is our first priority,’ Christina retorted with a smug look on her face.

Taylor looked at him when she said that and stared at Louis in wonder.

‘So, you’re the face to the famous name’ she said, cocking her head. ‘Surprising, really. I expected a bit more, to be honest.’

‘I suggest you leave before things get nasty, Taylor,’ Niall threatened and clenched his fists. ‘Master Styles won’t be pleased when he hears of your stupid comments. He must be growing tired of them, since they occur on a regular basis.’

Taylor glared at Niall, who remained unimpressed, merely raising a challenging eyebrow. She reconsidered before deciding against doing something stupid, stalking off with her head held high.

‘She’s such a nuisance. I have no idea how she was able to enter. Styles must have been drunk that day,’ Christina mumbled and Louis smiled.

‘Quit nagging,’ Niall sighed. ‘It’s not going to change anything. Her father has a lot of influence. It would be best if you head in though.’

Christina nodded and winked at Louis before departing with a spring in her step. Louis was thankful that Niall didn’t force him to converse. Instead, they remained silent as Louis let his hand run through the water, watching the koi swim away from him. He didn’t notice Niall’s absence until he felt someone standing right next to him. His big blue eyes squinted against the sunlight that was only partly blocked by a mass of curls above him.

‘Harry,’ Louis greeted happily.

Harry crouched down next to him, a tiny smile on his lips.

‘Did you enjoy your afternoon?’ The older one asked as he watched Louis’ hand doing circular motions on the water’s surface.

‘Yes, thank you,’ Louis breathed. ‘I hope you did too.’

‘It was bearable. I missed having you around though. It was too quiet.’

Louis’ cheeks reddened and he looked away, praying that Harry wouldn’t notice, which he did, of course.

‘Don’t hide,’ Harry whispered, carefully grabbing his chin and turning his head to face him again.

Louis bit his lip and stared at Harry, a lost look in his eyes. Desperately trying to decipher the emotion in Harry’s eyes, he racked his brain. He knew that look, but just couldn’t place it.

‘We should head back in,’ Harry said quietly. ‘I don’t want you to catch a cold. Winter is approaching fast.’

The Candidian grabbed his hand and swiftly led him back inside, frequently checking on him with a smile on his beautiful face.

‘Harry?’ Louis asked with a voice full of uncertainty.

‘Not here, Lou,’ Harry replied. ‘Wait until we get to the room.’

Was he able to sense what the boy was about to ask?

Louis nodded understandingly and stayed silent. The corridors were starting to fill with students, so the school day had obviously ended. The leader tightened his grip slightly and continued climbing the stairs, desperate to reach the room before they were seen. He was not in the mood for another chat with the headmaster about how irrational he was being.

Two guards greeted them with a short nod and each grabbed a handle of the double doors, opening them wide for them to enter. Harry released Louis’ hand rather unwillingly and they sat down near the fireplace, a spot they had become accustomed to by now.

Louis watched the small flames dancing around the fresh log absentmindedly until the person opposite cleared his throat, bringing him back from his thoughts.

‘You wanted to ask me something,’ the Candidian reminded him calmly.

‘Oh,’ Louis said, biting his lip when he remembered. ‘Um... When’s this ball everyone’s talking about?’

Harry had an expressionless face as he sighed, ‘So you know?’

Louis nodded slowly, unsure whether Harry was happy about him knowing or not. Niall hadn’t been lying when he had mentioned Harry disliking the topic.

‘In a few days. The Christmas holidays start at the next week. The ball will be held on Saturday, the day after tomorrow.’

‘I suppose you’ll be attending?’ Louis asked, secretly hoping that Harry would just refuse to show up to spite Redford and his desire to mix the two groups of students.

But, to his disappointment, Harry nodded grimly.

‘Yes, it seems inevitable.’

‘I see.’

Harry looked up and gazed at the small boy with an unreadable expression.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you declined, but I would like you to come, Louis,’ the leader suddenly spoke up, making Louis’ eyes go wide.

‘Me?’

‘I doubt there’s another Louis in this room,’ Harry said, smirking slightly.

It would be an understatement to say that Louis was speechless. Never had he expected to be invited to such a high class ball, especially with all the discontent from all the Candidians concerning the Caerulians’ invitation from Redford.

‘I would be honoured,’ Louis forced out, trying to stay calm. ‘But are you sure it’s appropriate?’

‘Why shouldn’t it be? I want you there, Louis, but I would never force you to an event that might make you uncomfortable.’

Was Harry referring to the reason why this ball was held? Had he heard them talk earlier on? Had he possibly seen Louis’ reaction?

‘I know you are not comfortable when all the attention is on you,’ Harry explained, relieving Louis. So that was what he had meant. ‘And you would be near me, so the attention cannot be avoided.’

‘I don’t mind,’ Louis lied – he just wanted to spend some time outside of this room and enjoy an evening with some of the Candidians, not to mention Harry.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows but did not continue. Instead, he grabbed the piece of paper and fountain pen that were lying on the table and quickly wrote something down. Reminding himself to be unobtrusive and respectful towards the leader’s privacy, Louis refused to ask him what he was doing.

‘I think I’ll go to bed,’ he announced in a low voice.

Harry rose and came over to him, a small smile gracing his handsome face.

‘Goodnight, Louis,’ Harry murmured as his index finger ghosted over Louis’ cheek. ‘I will see you tomorrow.’


	11. A Jealous Admirer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I felt really motivated these past days and thought to myself 'Why not release a chapter today?'  
> Here you go, folks!  
> Enjoy! xx

_‘Louis?’_

_The boy turned around, staring into the darkness. He knew that voice._

_‘Louis?’_

_‘Mum?’_

_He hastily looked around, still unable to make out his surroundings._

_‘LOUIS!’_

_Her screech sent shivers down his body, bringing back unwelcome memories._

_He knew this situation. He had relived it many times before._

_‘No, no, no,’ he whispered frantically, backing away from where he believed the voice came from._

_‘Come here, boy,’ a husky voice sang in a mocking tone._

_Red eyes appeared before him, staring at him in a hungry fashion._

_‘RUN, LOUIS!’_

_He jumped and raced in the opposite direction of the eyes, hearing a loud cackle close by._

_‘Think you can escape?’_

_‘Louis!’_

_He continued running, heart racing as he blindly tried to escape into the grey fog._

_‘Louis!’_

_The voice was unfamiliar, new to the scene that haunted him constantly. Deeper than his mother’s voice, warmer than the red eyed man’s voice – but also laced with worry._

_‘Louis!’_

 

Louis jolted awake, staring wildly around the room filled with a soft glowing light. Sweat was rolling down his cold forehead while his body shook.

‘Lou,’ someone whispered next to him and he snapped his head around, his blue eyes meeting Harry’s green ones.

‘Harry,’ he gasped, lunging himself at Harry, who caught him with ease.

Louis immediately felt his serenity return in the leader’s strong hold, breathing in his wonderful scent.

‘A nightmare?’ The deep voice said and Louis nodded.

‘It’s always the same,’ Louis whispered, hardly noticing Harry stroking his hair in a soothing way.

‘The red eyes?’

‘Yes.’

Harry’s body stiffened ever so slightly, revealing the discomfort he felt whenever Louis mentioned the monster of his dreams.

‘I wish I could take them away,’ Harry murmured through gritted teeth.

Louis smiled up at him, shaking his head.

‘It’s fine.’

‘Don’t say that. It’s not fine, Lou.’ Harry’s voice was harsh, his eyes blazing with frustration.

‘I keep telling you not to worry about me,’ Louis sighed, settling back into the comfortable embrace. Harry ignored him though, refusing to respond to that. He was certain that Louis would understand one day, once he accepted the fact that he was loved and adored.

‘Do you think you can go back to sleep?’

Louis nodded hesitantly and rested his head back on the soft pillow while taking in Harry’s appearance. He was still in his uniform, his hair unruly as usual and nothing seemed to be different. He was still perfect.

‘Goodnight, Louis.’

*

Friday went by in a flash and Louis was getting more nervous by the second. He spent his Saturday morning with Niall and Christina, who had once again evaded her duties of planning the ball to show the two boys the guest list instead.

‘All these ladies,’ she groaned as they went over the guests coming from outside the school. ‘They’re all the same. Vain, arrogant and stupid.’

‘And female,’ Niall added, but blanched straight after saying that.

‘What?’ Louis asked, confused.

‘Never mind,’ the Irishman muttered, clearly embarrassed, so Louis didn’t push him any further.

Christina smirked with her usual knowing smile, the one she usually used when talking about Louis’ relationship with Harry.

Louis just huffed, obviously not understanding either of them.

‘So, who would be a potential match?’ He asked, feigning little interest, although it was eating him up from the inside. He scolded himself by remembering the Candidians’ distaste for jealousy and his vow that he wouldn’t become one of those pathetic little Harry admirers.

‘Well, if I’m dead honest, he’ll hate all of them,’ Christina said casually. ‘He never finds anyone at these balls, even though the pressure grows each year. Lady Aria is attending for the first time though, she is said to be halfway nice, but that isn’t very difficult.’

‘Can you imagine what the Caerulians will be like this evening?’ Niall groaned. ‘It’s bad enough with them gushing about us students, but all those guests and fancy outfits will probably send them all straight into cardiac arrest.’

‘Or to their graves if they’re not careful,’ Christina chuckled, folding the list. ‘I doubt our guests will be as tolerant and patient as we are. Don’t know what Redford was thinking.’

‘Not much, as always,’ Niall muttered. ‘We should head in, Louis. A delivery for you arrived a while ago.’

‘A delivery?’ Louis repeated, stunned.

Niall shrugged and led him back to Harry’s dormitory in silence. They were met by the two guards, who reminded Louis of the beef eaters in the stories he had read about London. Their stoic and expressionless faces seemed to be far too professional. Before he could ponder anymore, the doors were opened and Harry greeted them with a toothy smile.

‘Thank you, Niall,’ Harry said gratefully.

Niall nodded and departed briskly, still not used to being addressed by his first name even when Harry was not angry.

‘Are you ready for this evening?’ Harry asked the boy with a wary smile.

Louis hummed and his eyes landed on the white suit on the back of one of the armchairs.

‘Is that yours?’ He asked, examining the fine piece of material with careful hands.

‘No, silly. That is far too small for me,’ Harry laughed lightly and Louis pouted, not noticing the breath catching in Harry’s throat when he did so.

‘Who’s it for?’

‘You.’

Louis gaped at him, clearly shocked.

‘I- wha- I can’t- no-’ He stuttered. ‘I can’t accept it. It must have cost a fortune!’

‘Money doesn’t matter, Lou,’ Harry stated calmly. ‘It’s a thank you gift for your willingness to attend the ball.’

‘You invited me. _I_ should be thanking _you_. Not the other way around.’

Harry mumbled something incoherently and shook his head at the end before he looked at Louis again.

‘I will be in the Dining Hall, Lou,’ he announced. ‘Niall and Christina will collect you soon. I will meet you there.’

Louis nodded numbly, his nerves getting the better of him. There was no way he could back out now, he would have to get through this, even with all those perfect women around him. He only realised then that he would be right there with Harry, witnessing their attempts to win the leader over, in front of his eyes.

He felt sick all of a sudden, allowing his jealousy to take over. He knew how ridiculous this was, but there was no escaping it.

‘You can do this,’ he mumbled, grabbing his suit and walking into Harry’s room where he quickly changed. His mouth opened in a silent gasp when he glanced at the mirror. The suit fitted perfectly, accentuating every good feature of his body.

‘Whoa,’ he finally brought out, turning around to have a better look. There wasn’t a single flaw to be found.

‘Jesus, Lou!’ Someone shrieked and he whipped around, only to be met with a hug. ‘Look at you! That is _amazing_. I swear, if you weren’t gay and didn’t have a certain someone in your life, I’d snatch you away in an instant!’

Louis’ cheeks turned a furious red as Christina rambled on about his amazing looks.

Was it really that obvious?

‘I must say, white suits you far more than blue,’ she admitted with a smirk. ‘Let me do your hair.’

He gave in, knowing that if he were to object, she would tie him to a chair anyway. She had a persistent nature, but Louis was sure that everyone knew that by now.

‘No one will recognise you once I’m done!’ She exclaimed happily, grabbing her bag full of hair products.

‘I hope that means that you won’t shave my hair off,’ Louis joked, earning a small smack on the back of his head.

‘Don’t underestimate me, Tomlinson. You will look so dashing that Harry will have to sit on a chair to keep him from fainting. Those girls are going to have a tough time.’

‘I don’t think you get the point of this ball,’ Louis said, frowning. ‘He’s supposed to be giving _them_ his attention, not me.’

‘Yeah, the chances of that happening are zero, even if you were to appear in a pink dress or even a potato sack.’

Louis didn’t find this one bit funny.

‘You’re even more delusional than I am. You are hoping for something that won’t happen.’

‘I’m not _blind_ , Louis, unlike you apparently. I see what happens when you two come together, I’m surprised that I haven’t burnt to death with all those sparks.’

‘That was lame.’

‘Whatever you say, sweetie. Guess I’ll be calling you ‘Master Tomlinson’ soon.’

He ignored the stubborn Candidian and let her do whatever she was doing with his hair, avoiding a glance at the mirror nearby. He had no idea how much time had passed when she finally clapped her hands in pure delight and pride, dragging him to the large mirror and forcing him to look at himself.

‘Wow,’ he said, taking a closer look at his flawlessly styled quaff. ‘Is that me?’

They were interrupted by a small cough, which caused them to turn around.

‘Well, well, well,’ a thick Irish accent drawled. ‘Look at you.’

Louis bit his lip and futilely forced the blush to stay away.

‘Come on, we’ll be late. Christina hasn’t even changed,’ Niall sighed, rolling his eyes.

He was wearing a suit as well, but it was jet black, unlike Louis’ white one. Christina raced out the door and disappeared, presumably going back to her dorm to change.

‘We’ll meet her downstairs,’ Niall decided and together they made their way down the stairs, Louis’ nervousness growing with each step. He was about to tell Niall that he couldn’t do it when they approached a flow of people that were heading towards the Dining Hall. Louis was suddenly surrounded by unknown faces, disabling him from escaping.

The Dining Hall looked splendid.

Everything was decorated in red and white, the Caedian colours. The round tables were covered in white tablecloths and blue vases with red roses. There was a huge space in the middle that served as a dance floor. The podium where the High Table was looked similar to the rest and that is where Louis spotted Harry.

Harry’s suit was a dark red, complimenting his brown locks of hair that cascaded down past his shoulders. He was in a deep conversation with an elderly man, an expression of polite interest gracing his face.

Louis barely noticed the gentle tug on his arm as Niall pulled him towards the leader, too enchanted by the man’s amazing looks. He snapped out of his trance when he saw how close he was getting to Harry, gulping nervously since he didn’t know what the Candidian would think.

Niall ignored Louis’ attempts to keep a distance between the leader and them, ending up dragging Louis up the small stairs. Harry glanced up and stilled when he saw them, his eyes widening considerably. Niall stopped right in front of him, nodding politely at the older man who excused himself quietly.

‘Wow,’ Harry breathed. ‘Is that really you?’

‘Um, I guess,’ Louis replied with a weak smile.

Niall departed, leaving the two alone to admire each other.

‘Beautiful,’ Harry said, drinking in the boy in front of him. ‘White suits you.’

‘So I’ve heard.’

It was beyond Louis how he was capable of forming complete sentences when the breathtaking definition of beauty and handsomeness stood right before him.

‘Master Styles,’ someone interrupted their little moment, resulting in Harry half glaring at the invader before composing himself once more.

‘Gregory Weston. We meet again,’ Harry greeted smoothly, offering a hand to shake while his other arm inconspicuously pulled Louis towards him. ‘I hope you’re well.’

‘Never been better. Thank you for your kind invitation, Aria has been looking forward to meeting you.’

Louis blanched at the name, recalling his previous conversation with Christina and Niall.

‘Yes, I have heard a lot about your daughter,’ Harry replied and Louis was unable to interpret his tone, which frustrated him to no end.

_Stop!_ , his subconscious hissed at his growing jealousy.

‘She should be here any minute, she was determined to meet you as soon as possible,’ Gregory stated proudly.

Louis felt panic rise in him. He had underestimated the situation completely – he would never be able to stand there and watch.

‘Lou!’ A happy voice called and he nearly cried out in relief.

His saviour, also known as Christina, came rushing over in a gorgeous dark blue dress.

‘Can’t have you dehydrated already!’ She said quickly, shooting Harry an apologetic smile. ‘I’ll just steal him for a quick moment, yeah?’

Harry frowned slightly, not bothering with hiding his displeasure at her intentions. He did let go though, trying to look Louis in the eyes, but was met with nothing, since the boy avoided him on purpose. He was too afraid that Harry would notice something was off and tonight was not about him. It was about the leader’s future, not his ridiculous jealousy.

Christina hastily led him towards the bar near the dance floor, biting her lip.

‘I saw your face,’ she explained as they waited for their cold punches. ‘Was it that bad?’

‘It’s fine, that Gregory fellow was very straightforward,’ Louis muttered, shrugging.

‘Gregory? What’s his last name?’

‘Weston.’ Christina gasped and Louis sighed, ‘I know, I know. Lady Aria’s father.’

Christina’s face turned sour and she grumbled something that Louis didn’t catch, but it was obviously something concerning their current topic.

‘Let’s dance,’ she said, downing her punch and Louis did the same, the sweet taste of it causing him to pull a face.

The string quintet had just started a new piece and, to Louis’ horror, everyone started dancing. _Ballroom_ dancing.

‘I can’t dance,’ he hissed at Christina. ‘I never learned this crap.’

‘Well, better learn it now than never,’ she shot back and grabbed his hand. He struggled against her tight hold but to no avail. No one could escape Christina when she had an idea in mind.

She placed his hands on the right places and smiled encouragingly, which didn’t help the boy a lot.

‘You’re going to embarrass me in front of everyone,’ he snarled, looking around.

‘Yeah, yeah. Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine,’ she replied and started moving around swiftly.

Surprisingly enough, Louis felt at ease after a couple of seconds. There was no doubt that the Candidian girl could dance, and she made it look like he was a professional too, which he was really thankful for.

‘You’re really good,’ he blurted out, unable to contain his admiration much longer.

‘Why thank you, Mister Tomlinson, you’re not bad yourself,’ she smirked, winking.

‘May I?’ Someone tapped Christina’s shoulder and she spun around.

‘Niall?’ Louis said, shocked out of his senses.

‘Sure,’ was Christina’s reply, followed by a bright smile.

Niall took Christina’s hand and led her closer to the centre of the dance floor.

‘What in the name of-’ Louis began to say, but stopped once he saw everyone move slightly to the edge, making room for another couple. Not just any couple, either.

‘Harry,’ Louis whispered, his heart shattering into a million pieces.

There he was, waltzing with a beautiful girl, no doubt Lady Aria herself. He was smiling down at her, while her beautiful eyes stared lovingly up at him. The crowd started murmuring about the perfect pair, slowly joining the two on the dance floor again.

Louis had had enough.

He spun around on his heel and rushed towards the nearest exit, closing the small door behind him quickly. He faintly heard a furious voice that made him flinch.

‘Where is he?! How could we lose him, Niall?!’

That had to be Christina.

‘He can’t be far – we only danced for two minutes or less.’

‘Harry’s going to kill us if we don’t find him. We had one job, Niall! We were supposed to look out for him and now he’s gone!’

‘Stop fretting and start looking then.’

‘If anything happens to him, we won’t see the next sunrise. Mark my words.’

Now his jealousy had ruined their evening as well. He crept in the opposite direction of the voices, not having a clue where it would lead him.

He was surprised when the next door opened to the school garden, near his favourite place. It was as if he were in a trance, absentmindedly making his way towards the pond. He sat down behind the bushes and pulled his legs to his chest, resting his head on his knees.

It was silent and the cool air was soothing, offering little comfort.

There was no denying the fact that Harry and Aria had looked perfect together. Two people that had a powerful presence and a mutual infatuation.

‘Like a fairytale,’ Louis mumbled, his fingers grazing the pond’s surface.

He was unsure of what role he played in this fairytale, however. Had there been a jealous and hopeless admirer in them? One that had got as close as he had?

He wasn’t going to live in denial any longer. His behaviour was proof enough that he had fallen for the leader of the Candidians.

‘Stupid and ironic,’ he laughed, silent tears rolling down his cheek.

Did he regret it? He didn’t know.

A part of him despised himself for falling in love with a man that was out of his reach, another understood that it had been inevitable – Harry was the perfection of a human being. Yet, he had obviously misunderstood Harry’s intentions – the Candidian had cared for him because he had pitied the boy, not because of some romantic interest.

There was a large crash behind him that sounded a lot like a heavy piece of wood colliding with a solid wall. Louis scrambled up and crept behind a bush, praying that no one would find him.

‘He’ll kill us. I can’t _believe_ we let him slip away like that.’

Niall had caught up with him. The Candidian strode purposefully towards the pond, obviously certain that that was the likeliest of hiding places.

‘Shit,’ he cursed when he arrived at Louis’ usual spot, his bright blue eyes scanning his surroundings.

Louis’ breath caught in his throat when those sharp eyes landed on him, but before Niall could take a closer look, another presence approached.

‘Niall? What are you doing here?’

The boy froze in his hiding place as he heard the soft voice that he had dreaded so much.

‘M- Master Styles-’ Niall spluttered, clearly trying to find a way to explain his weird behaviour. ‘I wasn’t expecting you here.’

‘No, you weren’t. I can see that.’ Louis knew that dangerous undertone – Harry was daring Niall to lie. ‘But why are you here?’

‘Um, I was looking for Christina. She ran off earlier on.’

‘And what of Louis?’

The mention of his name had his heart beating at a rapid pace that could never be considered healthy.

‘Louis?’ Niall repeated, swallowing. ‘Oh, Louis is with Christina.’

Louis watched Harry’s eyes narrow.

‘I explicitly told you to watch over him, did I not?’ He growled.

‘Well, yes, but Christina is perfectly capable of taking care of him, sir.’

‘Are you tired of working for me, Horan?’

Last-name basis was the worst sign, Louis and Niall both knew that.

‘Never, sir.’

‘Then why is it, that when I give you a simple task, you seem to think you’re better than that?’

‘Sir, I would never-’

‘Silence!’

Niall cowered away, closing his eyes. Louis couldn’t move, even though he wanted to help Niall. It wasn’t his fault.

Harry took a deep breath and shook his head sadly.

‘Forgive me, Niall. You know what this stupid event does to my mood.’

Niall merely nodded, fearing that he would ruin the returned peaceful atmosphere.

‘I would like you to find Christina and tell her to bring Louis back to my dorm. And don’t tell him that some people will be staying for a few days.’

‘Do you mean Lady Weston?’ Niall asked carefully.

‘Yes, Lady Weston is one of those guests. Just make sure he’s safe, Niall.’

Louis frowned at that.

She was staying?

He quietly backed away from the scene and eventually felt his foot hitting something solid. Confused, he turned around and discovered a window that was slightly open. The room it belonged to was dark and seemingly a part of the school’s cellar. He carefully pushed the window to the side and slipped in, his feet hitting the ground with a soft thud. Complete darkness surrounded him and he could hear the sound of him breathing resonating in the empty chamber. His hands found the wall and guided him towards a large metal door that creaked as he tried to pull it open. After a few pulls, it finally budged and a dim light flooded into the room, which turned out to be vacant.

He stuck his head out and checked the long corridor. Careful not to make a sound, he tiptoed his way down towards what he believed to be the nearest staircase. The eerie silence unsettled him and the corridor seemed to never come to an end. He passed several shut doors that resembled the one he had opened, but he didn’t find the courage to take a peep. His only aim was to get out of this maze before he got lost. The problem was, however, that he had the nagging feeling that he already was.

After another few minutes of walking, the corridor took a sharp left and he skidded to a halt. There was a huge wall blocking his way. He was trapped.


	12. A Clink of Chains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Hope you are all still alive after the release of Sign of the Times :')  
> Damn, JHO nearly ended me and now I had to live through SOTT - what a great time to be alive  
> I have two weeks of holidays, which I should spend studying for my Leaving, but - knowing me - I will still find time to update!  
> Em x

To say that Louis was panicked would be an understatement. He was absolutely terrified. Turning on his heel, he raced back the way he had come, hardly caring about the noise he was creating. He arrived back at the first door and started walking in the opposite direction in the hopes of finding a way out. The more he walked, the more he felt a sick feeling rise in him. This situation reminded him a lot of some story of a man that had ended up in some cellar and had been found dead years later. Suddenly, his ears picked up a muffled sound coming from behind one of the metal doors. He pressed his right ear against the nearest one, certain that that was the source.

 _Music_.

He pushed the door open and entered a dark room identical to the one he had entered through the window. The only difference was, that there were slim light streaks coming from something that looked a lot like an air vent, which gave Louis hope.

He almost ran up to the source of light, which turned out to be where the music came from too. What he didn’t notice was the door being shut quietly behind him, curious eyes glowing in the dark.

The quiet klick of the door made Louis stiffen and his eyes go wide. Full of dread, he turned around on his heel and stared into the darkness with his large, innocent eyes.

‘Hello?’ He rasped before clearing his throat. ‘Is someone there?’

Something solid landed on his shoulder and nearly caused his heart to fail.

‘Who are you?’ Louis squeaked, scared to death.

‘Intruder,’ a rough voice accused curtly.

‘I’m so sorry,’ the boy said quickly, refusing to turn his head in case he offended the person standing next to him. ‘I can leave.’

‘No!’ The voice sounded panicky. ‘Stay!’

‘Um, okay…’ Louis agreed uncertainly, evaluating his options in his head. ‘Who are you?’

The weight on his shoulder disappeared and he heard soft footsteps move in front of him. Brown eyes that seemed to glow in the dark stared at him imploringly and Louis heard a distinct jingling.

‘Liam Payne,’ the person said.

‘Hullo, Liam. I’m Louis Tomlinson.’

Louis held out his hand but Liam’s gaze never faltered and his handshake was ignored completely, resulting in him lowering it again.

 _What a weird guy_ , Louis thought.

‘Why are you here, Liam?’ He tried instead, giving up on any other form of politeness.

‘I was ordered to be brought down here.’

Another unhelpful answer that caused another awkward pause.

‘By whom?’

This time Liam’s eyes changed from emotionless to something that resembled deep sadness.

‘Master Styles.’

Louis froze.

Surely, he wasn’t referring to _him_?

 _How many ‘Master Styles’ do you know?_ , his mind scoffed.

‘Why?’ Louis asked again.

‘I stole something from him,’ Liam explained, his eyes flitting downwards as if he were ashamed. ‘He had all that nice stuff… I took a ring that he never wore…’ A small sigh escaped him. ‘It was his mother’s wedding ring. He was furious.’

‘Liam-’

‘No sympathy!’ Liam said forcefully, shaking his head. ‘He was merciful.’

Another jingle resonated in the room and Louis finally figured out what it was.

‘Are you in chains?!’ He gasped.

‘I deserve it, it’s my punishment for my crime. Keeps me from stealing again.’

‘No, Liam,’ Louis stated flatly. ‘No one deserves that. I don’t care what you did. I’ll talk to him about it.’

It pained him too much to say his name. He didn’t even know when he’d be ready to face the Candidian again.

‘Really?!’

‘That’s what friends are for, right?’

Liam’s eyes grew even bigger than they had been before, but they quickly grew serious again.

‘You can’t stay here much longer,’ Liam warned him. ‘They will check this cell soon. No one is allowed in here.’

Louis was torn. He didn’t want to leave Liam alone in this horrible, dark place, but what could he do? He was of no use to the lad here.

‘I will come back tomorrow,’ he promised.

‘Thank you, Louis,’ Liam whispered. ‘You can climb through that vent. You will end up in the kitchens.’

Louis nodded and quickly made his way over to the rusty looking thing, shooting one last fleeting glance at his new friend.

‘See you soon-’

‘Quick!’

The boy pushed the latch to the side and crawled in. He could practically feel how his suit was being ruined by the dirt and dust – God knows what he would tell _him_. It only took him about two minutes until he pushed the next latch aside and found himself sitting in the corner of an enormous kitchen. At least twenty people were jostling against each other, a booming voice ordering things above the chaos at hand while an old radio blared in the background.

No one spared him a glance as he slowly made his way towards the nearest exit. A huge dipper that appeared in front of his face nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. He glanced up and saw a middle aged woman glowering at him. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she had started hissing, she looked so mad. Before he could come up with a sensible explanation, he felt the hard piece of stainless steel hit his cheek harshly, leaving him to rub the throbbing skin.

‘You god-awful scavengers!’ She shrieked. ‘Always find one or two sneaking in here! And don’t you dare tell me you starve!’

‘I wasn’t-’

‘OUT!’

He scrambled up and shot out of the kitchen, feeling several eyes following him out the door.

*

Niall was doomed.

For the past two hours, he had torn the place apart and had checked every corner and hiding place in the entire school. He had even stolen Redford’s keys for all the rooms, but to no avail. Louis was still missing and nowhere to be found.

Christina, being the better actress of the two (by miles), had returned to the party so that their master wouldn’t notice that something was up.

The Candidian had considered calling for the boy, but he was too afraid that someone might hear and tell on him. So, the only option left was to tell the master that he had lost Louis and the boy’s fate was unknown.

In all these years, he had never felt as nauseous as he did at that moment while he slowly made his way back to the Dining Hall. The happy chatter and melodic music did little to lighten his mood. The High Table stood out like a scythe, ready to cut his throat. His master’s eyes spotted him immediately and turned into assessing slits.

There was no backing out of this. He knew something was up.

It seemed to take Niall years to get to his leader’s side, where he stood like a nervous wreck.

‘What is it, Niall?’ Styles asked him in a low voice, leaning back slightly.

‘Um-’ Niall had no idea how to tell him. ‘Well… You know Louis Tomlinson, right?’

His master seemed to think that Niall had lost his mind, for he replied with, ‘What _are_ you talking about? Is this some kind of stupid joke?’

‘No- no! Of course not! It’s just- you see…’

‘Get to the point, Niall.’

The sharpness in Styles’ voice caused Niall to flinch before he continued.

‘Well, long story short: I asked Christina to dance- you see, she was dancing with Louis before that and I kind of stepped in, because I really was trying to enjoy myself as much as possible. I don’t really like balls that much. And, you know, one moment he was there, the next he was gone-’

‘What do you mean with ‘ _he’s gone_ ’?’ The leader’s voice was no louder than a faint whisper.

Niall’s voice failed him, so he merely shook his hanging head, shrugging.

‘Where is he, Niall?’ Anger laced the leader’s voice, causing Niall to cower slightly.

‘I don’t know, sir,’ Niall breathed finally, waiting for the punishing blow.

‘We have to find him…’ Anger turned into worry and the leader was on his feet.

‘Forgive m-’

‘Alarm the guards. I want him found,’ Harry ordered, striding briskly towards the enormous double doors.

Niall scampered away and grabbed the nearest guard, hissing into his ear, ‘Find Louis Tomlinson. Master’s orders.’ With that, he followed his leader towards the Entrance Hall, only to be pushed against a nearby wall.

‘I _trusted_ you, Horan!’ A deep voice growled in his ear. ‘How could you do this to me- to _him_?! I thought you felt honoured to work in such a high position!’

‘I do, sir!’

‘Then how come you lied to _me_?! How could you look me in the eye and tell me that he is safe?! You know _exactly_ how dangerous nights like these can be!’

Red anger flashed in Styles’ eyes as he glowered at his follower. After a few seconds, though, those emotional eyes turned into empty tunnels.

‘Leave. Get out of my sight.’

Niall resembled a kicked puppy at that stage as his sad eyes followed his master striding away from him. He had failed the person he looked up to.

*

Deciding it was best to get as far away as possible from that dreadful kitchen, Louis sprinted up several flights of stairs until he finally stumbled into the Entrance Hall, where he finally caught his breath.

‘Oh, Aria!’ He suddenly heard someone gushing nearby. ‘He _so_ fancies you! I can tell!’

Unseen behind a bust of some old man, Louis began eavesdropping.

‘Yes, it’s only a matter of time now.’ The boy didn’t have to guess twice to know who was speaking. Jealousy began to fill him, but he forced himself to stay focused on the conversation.

‘You would make a lovely couple!’

She was obviously surrounded by several admiring girls, which didn’t improve the situation one bit.

‘Yes. He seemed a little distracted, though.’

‘Well, of course he was! You look stunning, gorgeous!’

Several agreeing hums could be heard and their voices slowly faded. Louis had the feeling that they were returning to the party.

He stayed hidden for several more minutes, contemplating his options. Returning to his old dormitory definitely wasn’t in the equation – he wouldn’t last two minutes in there without losing his mind. _His_ room seemed just as bad, but at least he had some means of protection there. He knew there was a guest bedroom, so he would opt for that. Just as he was about to race up the stairs, his ears caught something.

‘I do, sir!’

 _Niall!_ , Louis nearly gasped out aloud, but contained himself in time. The next voice made his heart ache.

‘Then how come you lied to _me_?! How could you look me in the eye and tell me that he is safe?! You know-’

Niall was in deep trouble and it was his fault. Several thoughts raced through his mind as he realised what he had done. The guilt was eating him up, so he shot out from behind the bust and sprinted towards the stairs, only to collide with something solid. He felt himself falling backwards, but strong hands wrapped around his biceps. _His_ hands.

The leader’s eyes looked almost comical – wide and surprised.

‘Louis?’ That beautiful voice said, but Louis couldn’t let himself fall under _his_ spell now.

As soon as he realised that _his_ hands were holding him, Louis felt his whole body stiffen uncomfortably. It felt like his body was trying to protect himself from further harm to his heart. He felt those welcoming hands retract, indicating that _he_ had caught on to Louis’ disdain towards physical contact.

‘Whatever happened to you?’

Louis had totally forgotten about his rather unflattering looks. Subconsciously, he dusted his sleeves off as his gaze locked to the ground.

Concern and an emotion that sounded a lot like _hurt_ laced _that person’s_ voice. Louis refused to answer, frowning at the floor instead.

‘Louis, I have dealt with Niall’s incapacity. Please tell me what happened, we can sort it out.’ It sounded like a desperate plea, but Louis didn’t falter.

‘It’s not his fault,’ Louis murmured curtly. ‘I ran off.’

Silence fell between them for a while, before _he_ spoke up again.

‘Why?’

It almost seemed natural that _he_ reached out for Louis, but the smaller boy winced as he realised the movement, causing _that_ hand to fall limply to _his_ side.

‘Lou-’

‘I think I’ll head up,’ Louis announced, unable to bear it any longer. He noticed how the leader was about to accompany him and quickly stuttered, ‘It’s fine. Niall can take me.’

‘But-’

‘Harry!’

In that very moment, Louis wished he had stayed in that dark cellar. That shrill voice was the same one he had heard only minutes before.

‘Lady Weston,’ _he_ mumbled, shooting Louis a worried look.

‘Niall,’ Louis called, hoping that the Candidian was still nearby. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw the pale blonde approaching, but that smile quickly vanished when Lady Aria got to them first, batting her eyelashes in a furious manner. She didn’t even acknowledge Louis, who raised an eyebrow inconspicuously at _him_ , wondering who _he_ would choose.

‘I thought you had left!’ She laughed with that silly laugh of hers. ‘Let’s go back, they’re about to serve desert.’

Her slender hand grabbed _his_ and Louis prayed that _he_ would just refuse.

But _he_ didn’t. Of course _he_ didn’t.

‘I-’

 _His_ hesitation caused the anger to flare in Louis once again, who turned on his heel and walked up the stairs, Niall following closely behind.

‘Louis-’

‘Don’t, Niall. Not now,’ Louis hissed harshly, his focus on every approaching step.

With every step they took, the boy regretted being so harsh towards Niall, who really hadn’t deserved to be spoken to in that manner. But the anger was still coursing through him, twisting his tongue. Now was not the time to explain this.

They were on the leader’s floor in mere minutes and the guards opened the doors wordlessly, which Louis was grateful for.

‘Louis, listen to me,’ Niall begged. ‘I know why you ran off and didn’t want him near you, but you have to understand the position he is in…’

‘I don’t blame him, Niall,’ Louis explained, surprising Niall.

‘You don’t? What is it then?’

‘I hate _myself_ , Niall!’ Louis almost shouted. ‘I was a fool!’

‘Don’t say that about yourself,’ Niall whispered sadly. ‘Master Styles-’

‘Don’t say his name,’ Louis growled, taking off his soiled suit. ‘Go back to the party and enjoy yourself, Niall. I have caused you enough trouble – I’m sorry. And thank you for bringing me here.’

Niall hesitated and Louis huffed.

‘Please, Niall.’

The Irishman nodded slowly and made his way towards the door.

‘Anything you want me to tell him?’

‘Tell him that I told you to lie to him. And don’t you dare take the blame on yourself. I did not deserve your cover story this evening.’

Louis strode towards what he assumed was the guest room, which was opposite of Harry’s and locked it straightaway, blocking out the unfair world around him. But instead of finding some form of relief, his whole world came crashing down on him and he sat on the floor with his back against the door, silent tears running down his cheeks.

 _Fool_ , his mind hissed spitefully. _Such a fool._

*

The chilly wind blew into the guest room through the windows that had been wide open for the entire night, causing the boy to shiver in his sleep. A figure gracefully entered through one of the windows and landed on the floor softly, his shoes not making a sound as they hit the wood beneath. A pained sigh escaped the person as he took in the pitiful sight in front of him. The tear tracks were visible in the moon’s glare and the boy looked as if he was having a troublesome sleep.

‘Oh, Lou…’ The person rasped as he gathered up the unhappy bundle.

He pressed his cheek against the boy’s head and felt how the little figure snuggled into the source of warmth. Carefully, Harry carried Louis to the bed and placed him onto the soft mattress. He would never take Louis back to his own room against the boy’s will, which is why he covered him up in this one instead, but not without a sad expression on his perfect features.

‘What happened?’ He asked quietly, stroking the boy’s dusty hair aside, revealing the face he adored so much, even when it was smudged with something that resembled soot. ‘Why don’t you want to look at me anymore? Why is it that you can’t bear me touching you?’

Louis whimpered in his sleep and Harry’s heart clenched. He sat down on the mattress next to the boy, his fingers trailing the pale skin. Holding his breath, he leaned down slightly, listening to the lulling sound of rushing.

A small klick sounded behind him but he continued staring at the beauty in front of him, knowing that it was Niall.

‘Sir…’ Niall began, but his voice trailed off as he realised the intimate situation he had entered. ‘Forgive me…’

‘Why, Niall?’ Harry asked him quietly. ‘Why does he hate me? Did you tell him?’

‘No, sir,’ Niall replied quickly, evading the first question. ‘And he doesn’t know, I can assure you.’

‘Then how come he has this disdain towards me now?’

Louis huffed and a small hand clutched Harry’s arm like a small child would clutch his most precious cuddly toy.

‘It’s not hate, sir, nor disdain,’ Niall muttered. ‘He’s confused. He’ll come around. Give him time.’

Niall knew that Louis wouldn’t come around just like that, but he also knew that Harry had duties to fulfil. He would never compromise that.

‘Goodnight, sir.’

With Niall’s departure, Harry was able to focus entirely on the boy again. He sighed before leaning down and placing a featherlight kiss onto Louis’ forehead, gingerly freeing himself from Louis’ grasp. A small pout formed on his lips and Harry chuckled softly, his eyes remaining sad.

‘Goodnight, Lou.’


	13. A Cunning Character

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for this late update...  
> The leaving cert was tougher than I had anticipated and it consumed all of my writing time, which is why it has taken so long. The whole exam procedure is nearly done and I'll be able to update on a more regular basis :)  
> Hope you all have a nice day!  
> Enojy xxx

Louis swore that his head was resting on a soft cloud, so he assumed that God had shown mercy and had let him join his family at last. Hopeful, he opened his eyes, only to be met by something that didn’t look like heaven – not that he would know what heaven looked like. He was in the guest room, which was relatively large and tastefully decorated.

His mind slowly started working at its normal speed again and he frowned, wondering how he got into bed.

 _Maybe I sleepwalked_ , he guessed, shrugging.

After having a good old stretch, he crossed the room and opened the windows, enjoying the cool winter breeze on his skin. The window he was standing in front of faced the front of the school building and he watched as several old cars drove down towards the villages – students leaving the school to spend Christmas with their families. He experienced mixed feelings in that moment – sadness, since he was unable to do the same, relief, because he didn’t have to endure their stares and taunting for a while, but also happiness. The holidays had finally started. That feeling faded as soon as he turned towards the door separating him from the rest of the dormitory. Straining his ears, he listened for several seconds until he was halfway certain that there was no one on the other side. His assumption turned out to be correct when he opened the deserted middle room. It was as if the leader hadn’t returned at all during the night.

Breakfast had been brought up, but instead of the usual two plates, there was only one. Louis’ appetite dissolved at that discovery and he turned his back on the fruit and bread, making his way towards the guest room again. After a quick wash and some rummaging in the wardrobe, he pulled out a woolly jumper and a pair of comfortable looking trousers which fitted him, much to his surprise.

He found the two guards standing stoically in front of the room, their faces giving nothing away.

‘Good morning,’ he greeted them quietly and earned a stiff nod in response from the one to his right.

‘You are requested to remain in the room until Horan comes,’ the other said in a gruff voice.

Louis felt something swirl inside him. He wasn’t going to take orders now.

‘Niall can have a day off,’ he muttered stubbornly and marched away, his hands forming into fists.

 _The cheek!_ , he thought exasperatedly. _As if I’m going to wait around like a good little boy!_

His mood was even fouler than it had been yesterday, if that was even possible. He glared at everyone he passed if they dared to look in his direction. After several minutes of walking around like an angry hedgehog he found himself in the library – one of his least favourite places.

‘At least it’s quiet,’ he grumbled as he snatched a book and plonked himself onto an armchair with a huff.

He was interrupted only ten minutes later by a distraught Niall that frowned at him.

‘Didn’t they tell you that I was supposed to collect you?’

‘They did,’ Louis replied in a snappish tone. ‘I’m not a dog that stays put when I’m told to.’

‘You are one to get involved in every trouble possible,’ Niall growled. ‘You could have waited ten minutes. He would have been mad at me again.’

‘He should be mad at me, not you,’ Louis replied, rolling his eyes.

Niall laughed at that. ‘Mad at _you_? Now that’s never going to happen, believe me.’

‘Well, let’s give it a try then,’ Louis smiled, a wicked gleam in his eyes, which caught Niall off guard.

‘Louis, whatever this is about, I can assure you that there are probably better approaches than the one you’re thinking of right now.’

Louis shrugged and set his book on a nearby table.

‘Louis, don’t do this.’

‘Stay here, Niall. If you don’t know about it, no one will be able to blame you.’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ Niall said bitterly. ‘There will always be ways to put the blame on me. Come on, I’ll take you back into your room-’

‘Try me.’

Louis made a run for it. In hindsight, he probably would have admitted that that had not been a clever move, but it felt right at the time. He followed the familiar corridors until he ended up in the garden. That was where Niall caught up.

‘Louis!’ The Candidian’s furious voice shouted, but the boy did not falter.

He let himself fall to the ground and skidded towards the open cellar window on his back, crashing onto the hard stone floor.

‘Shit!’ he heard Niall curse as he landed next to him, a scowl present on his face.

Louis tried to suppress his laugh, but to no avail, and Niall glowered at him.

‘You have no idea what I want to do to you right now!’ He hissed venomously as he lunged at Louis, tackling him to the floor.

Louis, on the other hand, laughed harder at that, not noticing the anger in Niall’s eyes.

‘You little-’ Niall growled. ‘What were you thinking?! The dungeons are out of bounds!’

‘Out of bounds because you lock up students down here?’ Louis fired back and Niall’s grip loosened on him.

‘You…’ he whispered, the shock clear as day on his face. ‘You know about that?’

‘I was here last night while you were looking for me,’ Louis explained quickly, using Niall’s shock to his advantage. ‘I found a student named Liam Payne. That can’t be allowed what you’re doing here.’

Niall hung his head in shame.

‘Louis, listen. You don’t understand-’

‘Don’t you dare tell me that I don’t understand! He stole something, so what?! Oli was expelled, but you lock Liam up?! I don’t even know how long he has been down here or how many more there are.’

Niall sighed and ran a hand through his now wild hair.

‘Louis, Caerulians aren’t locked up in the dungeons.’

‘Only Candidians?’

‘Yes.’

Louis was dumbfounded. The _elite students_ were sometimes locked up down here?

‘But why?’ He gasped, unable to digest the new information.

‘I can’t tell you, Louis. Master Styles will have my head if I do.’

‘The more time I spend here, the crueller he seems to get,’ the boy said, frowning.

‘No, Louis,’ Niall sighed defeatedly. ‘Master Styles is not cruel. There are rules and reasons for his actions. He doesn’t do it for fun, if that’s what you’re thinking.’

That was exactly what Louis had been thinking. But instead of thinking about it even more, he shook his head and announced, ‘I’m visiting Liam. You can either join me or run back to your master. I don’t care.’

And with that, Louis arose and opened the metal door once again, feeling Niall’s gaze on his back. The Irishman gave in and together they listened to their echoing footsteps as Louis led the way. Niall did not stop him when he pushed the door open and entered silently with the boy.

‘Liam?’ Louis called into the darkness.

‘Louis?’

A wide grin spread across his face as he spotted the chocolate eyes in a corner, confidently entering the cell. He noticed how Liam eyed Niall suspiciously.

‘What is _he_ doing here?’

Niall glared at him angrily as he said, ‘Want to spend some more time in here, Payne?’

Liam rolled his eyes.

‘As if Master Styles is going to let me out. I don’t know why he keeps me here.’

‘Ignore him, Liam,’ Louis muttered. ‘Styles’ minion isn’t going to change his mind about tormenting sadists so soon.’

‘How dare you-’

‘How dare _I_?!’ Louis repeated, anger flaring inside him. ‘How dare _you_ , Niall Horan! How can you look up to someone who keeps a student like Liam in chains in some dungeon?! Look at him!’ He pointed at Liam, who was leaning against the cold stone wall.

‘Stop, Louis,’ Liam sighed. ‘There’s no point in talking sense into him.’

‘ _Sense_!’ Niall shouted, offended. ‘Look who’s talking here! Have you forgotten your crime?!’

Liam chose to ignore him and turned back to Louis instead.

‘Why is he here?’ He asked in distaste, nodding his head towards Niall.

‘Styles’ orders,’ Louis mumbled. ‘I didn’t want him here.’

‘That’s it!’ Niall huffed. ‘I’ve had enough, Tomlinson.’

Without another glance, he turned around and stormed out of the cell, leaving the two new friends in peace.

‘Finally,’ Louis said triumphantly, sitting down next to Liam, who joined him.

‘You really know how to get under his skin, eh?’ Liam chuckled, his eyes glittering maliciously.

‘He can be such a jerk sometimes,’ Louis admitted. ‘But his pride is so vulnerable that it makes it so much easier.’

Deep down, Louis felt bad for making Niall look like some follower without an own opinion.

Had he gone too far?

‘You okay?’ Liam inquired after several silent seconds.

‘Uh, yeah,’ Louis replied uncertainly. ‘I would like to check out the other cells – see if anyone else needs to be freed.’

‘And how will you do that?’ Liam obviously didn’t have that much hope.

‘I’ll talk to Styles,’ Louis said, shrugging. ‘I’ll threaten to expose his secret.’

‘You’re insane.’ It wasn’t meant as a compliment – Liam was underwhelmed. ‘You’ll be expelled immediately.’

‘So?’ Louis retorted monotonously. ‘It’s not like I have a lot of reasons to stay. Before I leave, I’ll come down here and pick the lock.’

Liam stayed silent and Louis was under the impression that there was something that the prisoner wasn’t telling him. Instead of dwelling on it, he got up and exited the cell.

‘Do you know of any others?’ Louis asked and Liam shrugged.

‘There might be some, but I don’t really know.’

Louis approached the cell opposite of Liam’s, carefully pushing it open and calling, ‘Hello?’

He didn’t receive a reply, yet he still entered. His fingers traced the walls in an attempt to find chains, but there were none. After checking all four walls, he stood in the middle of the room, deep in thought.

‘What are you doing here?’ A silky voice said that nearly caused him to have a heart attack.

He spun around, frightened, and green met blue.

‘Harry,’ Louis gasped, his hand clutching his chest.

The leader was leaning against the door frame, an unreadable expression on his face, which made Louis uneasy. He was always roughly able to tell Harry’s state of mind when he was around him.

‘When Niall told me you were down here, I nearly called him a liar,’ Harry said, his voice calm, yet void of emotion. ‘But then I remembered how you had miraculously disappeared for ages last night and how no one had been able to find you.’

He took a step forward and Louis stood there, frozen.

‘And I also remembered how you had been unable to look me in the eyes, how you had _winced_ at my touch. It made me wonder. Had it been guilt for snooping around in forbidden parts of the school, perhaps? Or was it hatred towards the thought of me being a sadistic torturer that finds some sick pleasure in locking up the students in my care?’

Louis gulped. How could he possibly read his mind like that? Of course, he hadn’t thought that Harry found pleasure in it, but the dungeon certainly wasn’t part of Louis’ morale.

‘And then there was Niall’s anger. You riled him up to get rid of him,’ Harry stated matter-of-factly. ‘And I asked myself, ‘would Louis do that if he had nothing to hide? If he had no plan up his sleeve?’ Believe me, I was surprised to even _think_ that way.’

Louis was unable to speak. This side of Harry frightened him. This wasn’t the Harry he knew. This taunting, emotionless… _leader_.

‘So, I actually believed Niall and sent him on a well-deserved break. But tell me, Louis, was I wrong? Did I misinterpret something?’

Harry was only three feet away from him. When had he walked towards him? Louis shook his head nervously.

‘Do you think I’m a monster? And don’t even think of lying to me.’

‘I d- don’t understand,’ Louis stuttered, closing his eyes and burying his face in his hands. ‘I don’t understand how you can do this to Liam. You’re n- not like that.’

The silence that followed was deafening. Louis didn’t dare to look Harry in the eyes.

‘I’m confused,’ Louis forced out, shaking. ‘I don’t know who I can trust.’

Suddenly, strong arms surrounded him and he sighed, shaking his head.

‘Why?’ He asked, his voice muffled against the fabric of Harry’s cloak.

‘Liam stole an item that was very important to me,’ the leader replied, his voice quiet. ‘He knew the consequences. I couldn’t expel him, but I distrusted him.’

‘You’re letting him die down here,’ Louis accused, frowning.

‘He won’t die down here, Louis,’ Harry sighed. ‘Enough about him-’

‘No!’ Louis said, freeing himself from the protecting arms. ‘I won’t let you keep him here!’

Harry closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning down.

‘Please, Harry,’ Louis begged, carefully reaching out to wrap his hand around a piece of the cloak’s fabric. ‘I’ll do anything.’

Harry opened his eyes at that and Louis’ breath hitched at the sight of them. They were ablaze with emotions, the most prominent one being sadness, mixed with something undefinable.

‘Louis…’ Harry murmured, his hand ghosting over the boy’s fringe as his eyes landed on the bruise on Louis’ cheek.

His posture changed in an instant. Anger flashed in those emerald eyes and he clenched his jaw.

‘What happened?’ He asked, his voice strained.

‘Um,’ Louis began, knowing that it was useless to lie, ‘I climbed through the air vent and ended up in the kitchen. The cook wasn’t too thrilled to see me…’

He trailed off as Harry’s frown deepened with every word.

‘She hit you?’

‘It’s not a big deal,’ Louis said quickly in a futile attempt to assure him.

The anger was replaced with regret, which baffled Louis.

‘Let’s leave,’ Harry said quietly. ‘This isn’t a place where we should be talking.’

Louis stayed put, biting his lip.

‘Please don’t leave Liam here,’ he tried again, ignoring Harry’s pleading look to drop the topic. ‘I promise I’ll do anything you want. I’ll even be nice to Niall – I’ll try at least.’

A small smile appeared on Harry’s lips and he grabbed Louis’ wrist gingerly, pulling the surprised boy towards him.

‘Alright,’ he agreed and Louis beamed at him. ‘But I want you to talk to me when we get out of here. No more running away.’

‘Fine!’ Louis said, his smile fading slightly.

‘And, Louis,’ Harry said, his seriousness returning. ‘No more secrets.’

Louis blanched at that, but nodded in agreement, unsure whether he would regret this later. He was sure that Harry had noticed his uncertainty, but he didn’t comment on it, which Louis was thankful for.

Harry lead the way towards Liam’s cell and glanced at Louis once again.

‘When I think what could have happened down here,’ Harry sighed, his sad green eyes looking straight into Louis’ blue ones.

They entered together and Louis watched Liam jump in surprise.

‘Master Styles!’ Liam nearly squeaked, casting his eyes to the ground.

‘Long time no see, Payne.’

Harry’s leader posture had returned and Louis bit his lip, praying that Harry would go easy on the thief.

‘You’re free to go,’ Harry announced as he gripped the chains. There was a small clicking sound which was followed by a loud clanging, indicating that the chains and cuffs had fallen to the ground.

‘Thank you, sir-’

‘Don’t thank me,’ the leader interrupted immediately. ‘Thank Louis for showing pity.’

Liam’s huge eyes landed on the small figure behind his master and his mouth fell open.

‘You kept your promise,’ Liam whispered. ‘I am forever in your debt.’

‘Nonsense,’ Louis said with a smile. ‘Just don’t steal things in future, Payno.’

Liam grinned at that and cautiously stepped towards them, giving Harry a questioning look.

‘Return to the Dining Hall after you get a change of clothes. I will tell my guards to bring you to the guest dormitories. I need to discuss some things first,’ the leader ordered and Louis was relieved to hear that Harry had business to discuss.

He was about to join Liam when he was pulled back gently.

‘I’m not done with you yet,’ Harry said and Louis could hear him smiling.

 _Oh_ , Louis thought, that _business_.

He followed Harry down the corridor until they stood in front of the blank wall that Louis had nearly crashed into the night before. His curious eyes followed Harry’s hand that pushed a brick until a small click sounded and the wall slowly sank into the floor.

‘Whoa,’ Louis gasped in surprise, but had little time to wonder about it since Harry pulled him along, obviously having no intention of wasting any more time. After several minutes of disorientation, Louis finally recognised a few objects that indicated that they were heading towards Harry’s room. His assumption turned out to be correct once they turned a corner and found themselves standing in front of the guards.

‘Forgive me for letting him escape like that, sir,’ one of them said remorsefully before opening the doors.

Harry merely nodded and they entered the apartment. The untouched breakfast was still on the table, to Harry’s evident displeasure, but he let it slide and pointed at one of the armchairs near the blazing fireplace.

‘Sit,’ he said quietly and Louis obeyed, nerves kicking in at that exact moment.

The emerald eyes followed his every move in a calculating manner and Louis shuddered at the intense gaze. Several more minutes that seemed like hours passed before Harry moved, making his way in front of Louis and settling down on the ottoman so that they were on eye level.

‘I think it’s time we talked.’

_  
_


End file.
